Protests hamper student registration at Unisa
The academic year at the University of South Africa (Unisa) has already hit a snag amid protest action by students and workers.
Several labour unions are in talks with management over wage disputes.
The National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (Nehawu), as well as the Academic and Professional Staff Association (APSA), are demanding a 7% wage increase.
Unisa spokesperson Lusani Netshitomboni says negotiations remain deadlocked.
"The deadlock that has arisen from the salary negotiations is ongoing. There is a strike declared by the unions. The university at the moment is offering a salary increase of 6% and the unions are demanding 7% salary increase."
University management has urged all students to make use of online facilities for registration purposes.
"This has had an impact on the operations of the university, especially registration,” says Netshitomboni.
"We are hoping that, as the negotiations and discussions between parties are ongoing, there will be a resolution which will enable us to resume our operations on a normal basis," he adds.
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Meanwhile, the university's student representative council (SRC) has announced plans to join the national student shutdown, further adding to the university's troubles.
This follows calls by the South African Union of Students' (Saus) for a national shutdown of all universities over issues of historical debt and registration fees.
The student union announced a national shutdown on Monday until the Minister of Higher Education and Training Blade Nzimande responds to its demands.
Unisa national SRC president Wadzanai Mazheteze says the student body is in full support of the shutdown.
"Unisa is shutdown as we speak, all our regions. We are unapologetic about our demands.”
Mazheteze has called on Nzimande to step up and solve the student crisis.
"The minister can't claim he's done everything in his power. If this is everything in his power then he must recuse himself."
So far, the student union has garnered support from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, the University of Fort Hare in East London and the Central University of Technology in the Free State.