UKZN agrees to moratorium on disciplinary action against student protestors
UKZN management held a press conference to address the issue behind student protests that have flared at some of their campuses over the past two weeks.
THE University of KwaZulu-Natal held a press conference on Friday to communicate what the current situation was on campuses which have seen violent protest action this week.
According to Dr Albert van Jaarsveld, vice chancellor at UKZN, Management has throughout this process been open to negotiation and engagement with the student leadership in the form of the SRC. “Students have chosen to engage only with Council, however our doors continue to remain open for discussion.
“At the outset, I would like to apologise to all members of staff and students who are committed to the successful completion of the academic programme for the inconvenience caused. We appreciate your commitment and commend you for your patience during this volatile time,” Van Jaarsveld said.
“The University has meet with various interested parties who have shown concern in finding an amicable solution to the current situation. As a result of all the interaction, a proposal is on the table with regards to the two issues that we were deadlocked on with student leadership. The first issue is the dropping of all charges against students.
“The University agrees to put a moratorium on the disciplinary action against students that are related to protest actions and the violence on campus in order to implement a process for processing all alleged charges through a neutral and independent legal person agreed to by both parties. The University will also make sure that those students who are being prosecuted will have the benefit of another independent legal person to preside over proceedings. This is in response to the perception from student leaders about trumped up charges. Whilst the University would never participate in such activities, we have no objection to participating in an open and transparent process that is conducted with integrity,” explained Van Jaarsveld.
As per the University policies, he confirmed UKZN did not pay bail for students arrested during violent protest action.
Turning to the second issue, that of representation on the Executive Management Committee, Van Jaarsveld said the matter required ongoing discussions and the chairperson of Council had agreed that the SRC would be afforded an opportunity to send a delegation of five people to present to a full council meeting on 19 September.
“This delegation will not include the President and the Secretary of the Central SRC as they are already members of the UKZN Council,” he said.
“We are fully aware that this issue is a statutory matter and that even if Council were to take a decision on the matter, the final approval lies with the Minister of Higher Education. This is because the University Statute derives its existence from the Higher Education Act,” he said.
Van Jaarsveld added that the University will remain on recess and said preparations were underway for very stringent measures of access control among others to exclude any unwelcome elements within the precincts of campuses.
“The University is not and has not engaged in any process or discussions regarding the 2017 fee increment as yet. We still await guidance on the matter from national government,” he confirmed, urging all students to return to UKZN on 20 September ready to attend classes with no further disruptions.
