#FeesMustFall: More universities suspend lectures

The UFS said it had met with the Student Representative Council (SRC) to discuss 2016 fee increase on Wednesday.

“UFS management and the Central Student Representative Council (CSRC) met on the Bloemfontein Campus to discuss fee increases for 2016. Protesting students outside the Main Building moved outside the main gate onto Nelson Mandela Avenue. The South African Police Services (SAPS) dispersed these students and the university’s protection services is in control of the situation on campus,” the university said in a statement.

It said that academic activities for undergraduates would not take place and administrative services would be unavailable on the Bloemfontein, Qwaqwa and South campuses.

The University of Pretoria said lectures would be suspended to allow “peaceful engagement on key issues affecting the institution.”

“Tests and examinations for the said date [21 October] have been rescheduled. No student will be compromised by these adjustments to the academic programme,” the university said in a statement.

“Consequently, staff are not required to be present on campus. Only essential support service staff will be required for duty.”

The institution’s students took to social media this week under #UPrising to mobilise for the protest. They held a night vigil at the main campus in Hatfield on Tuesday.

Protests against proposed fee increases started at Witwatersrand University last Wednesday and spread to other universities.

Wits students are also demanded that the university stop outsourcing of services and called for better pay for workers at the institution. Some academic staff have joined the student protests.

Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande’s announcement Tuesday that an agreement had been reached to cap fee increases at six percent was met with anger from protesters.

The students rejected Nzimande’s announcement and vowed to continue protesting for a no fee increase.

Eastern Cape’s Fort Hare University students embarked on a protest on Tuesday.

The institution reportedly withdrew an ultimatum to bar students from writing final exams unless they had paid up to 60 percent of their tuition fees,

Meanwhile, the SA Student Congress (SASCO) has planned a national shutdown of all higher institutions of learning by midday on Wednesday to further intensify the no fee increase campaign.

The organisation has urged students to protest peacefully across the country.