By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Human rights organisation Amnesty International South Africa says security at the University of Witwatersrand should only use force against protesting students as a last resort.
Wits students are protesting against historic debt preventing some from registering, the National Student Financial Aid Scheme’s (NSFAS) residence cap of R45 000, and rules on registering with the Hardship Fund (established by Wits to assist financially needy students).
It says security personnel should be used as a last resort to prevent injuries and loss of life.
On Saturday students vowed to make the university ungovernable until their grievances are addressed.
Amnesty’s Mienke Steytler says the Higher Education Department and university management must act swiftly to avoid the situation getting out of control further.
“Their right to peaceful assembly must be respected and protected. It’s also critical that Wits University administration and the Department of Higher Education work swiftly to resolve this dispute. If not, protests will continue into the foreseeable future, disrupting education.”
“The students who are protesting peacefully must be allowed to do so and their right to peaceful assembly must be respected and protected. Amnesty International of South Africa is also disturbed by the reports of the media being asked to leave the campus.
“The right to freedom and expression including press freedom is enshrined in the constitution. The media must be allowed on campus as objective observers they are vital in the documentation of events including human rights violations.”
Since Thursday, security guards have tried to prevent journalists from entering the campus to cover the protest.
Wits spokesperson Shirona Patel said protection services believed that having the media in the midst of the action “sometimes inflames the situation which makes it harder to manage”.