Students at the beleaguered Technikon Witwatersrand believe they have been let down by their students’ representative council (SRC), which last week led protests that caused the institution to be shut down.
The students are alleged to have trashed the Auckland Park campus on Tuesday, causing R250 000 in damage. Police arrested 370 students on charges of public violence. They may pay R100 admission of guilt fines by September 2 or they must appear in court on November 14.
“Our SRC is useless. We no longer need them to represent us,” said Sibusiso Nene, who also objected to the way the institution treated students.
“They still treat us like kids, we’re no longer high school kids.”
“The SRC did not support us,” said Mathews Masote, a student at the Auckland Park campus. He denied that the students had caused any damage at the campus apart from discharging fire extinguishers in classes and corridors and burning tyres on the street.
Mary Willemse, a technikon spokesperson, confirmed today that students upturned rubbish bins, sprayed classes with fire extinguishers and fire hoses, and broke windows, tiles, vending machines and booms at the gates.
“I don’t generally blame the management. The fault is with the SRC as well,” said a female student who wanted to be identified only as Baatseba. She said the SRC had failed to advise students about new restrictions on visitors.
SRC president Kabelo Thakadu said the students took to the streets mainly because of poor consultation channels at the institution. “We also have problems of management failing to consult the SRC before taking decisions.”
Thakadu said the students had protested last week after managers abandoned a meeting to discuss the students’ dissatisfaction with a new rule restricting visitors staying overnight at residences.
“They told us to calm the students down [who were protesting outside the building] and when we returned they said it was already their knock-off time,” he said.
“It might have been an illegal march, but it was not violent. We were just going to meet our fellow students at the Doornfontein campus,” said Sifiso Gwala, a student at the Auckland Park campus. Hundreds of the students set off on a march to the Doornfontein campus before being stopped by police.
“We are still going to protest — this time legally,” said one student who feared to be identified.
Wits Tech classes resume