/ 31 January 2011

Registration suspended at Limpopo University campus

The University of Limpopo’s Medunsa campus suspended the registration of first-year students on Monday because of a strike by senior students, a university official said.

“The senior students were stopping the first-years from registering. They said they would only allow them to register once their demands were met,” said the campus spokesperson Daphne Kgwebane.

Last week, students at the university, near Pretoria, boycotted classes in protest against fee increases and a lack of accommodation for postgraduate students.

Kgwebane said the university had tried to explain to the students that accommodation was limited and needed to be kept for first years students, who were still quite vulnerable.

Police had to be called in on Monday to keep the situation calm at the Medunsa campus.

Kgwebane said university management would meet on Tuesday to discuss the way forward. The registration process would remain closed until further notice. — Sapa