Government hopeful students will not derail Fort Hare centenary
Government was hopeful on Wednesday that centenary celebrations for Fort Hare University in the Eastern Cape, scheduled for Friday, would go ahead without incident following threats that protesting students would disrupt the event which would be addressed by President Jacob Zuma and his Zimbabwean counterpart Robert Mugabe.
Addressing journalists at a media briefing in Parliament, Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe and his cabinet colleagues who make up the inter-ministerial committee established by Zuma to co-ordinate the centenary celebrations, said Zuma will deliver the keynote address with Mugabe and other African leaders expected to speak as alumni of the university.
The ministers said they were confident that talks between the university management and student leadership, who on Tuesday sent a list of 16 demands, which included that funds from the NSFAS for poor students be immediately released, would yield results.
“We are confident that discussions have to continue to find a solution because there is a solution to all those demands,” said Radebe.
Speaking via video conference from the university, vice-chancellor Mvuyo Tom said they were set to resume talks with the Student Representative Council on Wednesday to try and resolve the impasse.
“Initially the students met with us yesterday. We received the petition as management and we addressed the issues,” said Tom.
“We do hear they escalated the protest to try and get workers out of the campus.”
Also speaking from the Eastern Cape, Premier Phumulo Masualle said the provincial government would monitor the situation and “add support to bring calm” to the situation.
“We should be able to find one another such that there is not a need for contingency measures…,” said Masualle.