National student shutdown called off
The South African Student Union has agreed to suspend calls for a national student shutdown following a meeting with Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande.
Last week the student union rallied support from several universities calling for the minister to address issues of historical debt and registration fees.
So far, the student union had garnered support from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, the University of Fort Hare in East London, Central University of Technology in the Free State as well as the University of South Africa (Unisa).
The department’s Ishmael Mnisi says Nzimande welcomes the decision to suspend the shutdown.
"The minister wishes to welcome the calling off of the national shutdown with immediate effect in the wake of the common understanding and agreements reached with the student leadership. The minister further urge all our institutions to ensure that all matters agreed to are implemented without any further delays."
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Monareng was shot dead in August 2018 during violent protests that erupted during the SRC elections at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) Soshanguve campus. Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) spokesperson Sontaga Seisa confirmed former constable John Slender was convicted and sentenced by the high court in Pretoria on Friday.
Nzimande agreed with the student union that all the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (Nsfas) students with debt can register provided they sign the acknowledgement of debt form and they meet the academic requirements for continued funding.
Mnisi adds: "The ministry will continue to engage student leadership in finding solutions and urged students to fully cooperate and allow the registration and orientation processes of universities to continue peacefully."