Wits: Classes continue amid student protests

Students took to the streets on Wednesday morning, closing the institutions entrances to express their frustration over students with historical debt not being able to register.

“In fact, up until last night, officials were in contact with the SRC trying to get as many qualifying students to register as possible,” said Patel.

“It therefore comes as a surprise that despite these arrangements and the working relationship which has been established, some members of the SRC and some students have elected to protest.”

The SRC wants all students to be allowed to register for the new academic year.

“All students owing R150 000 or less should be allowed to register for the 2023 Academic Year. The R10 000 upfront fee for Wits Residences should be waivered, and for students to be allowed to move in.

“The university must allocate an additional R30 Million towards hardship accommodation in order to secure more beds for homeless students. The NSFAS R45 000 cap for residences must be scrapped with immediate effect,” the SRC said.

Patel said during negotiations with the SRC the institution agreed to assist students with historic debt of R50 000.

“What is happening is we are allowing, through the Wits Hardship Fund we agreed with the SRC on the criteria up front that was anyone that owes R50 000 or less they will get R25 000 from the hardship fund for example so that they can register.

“Students that owe over R50 000 with historic debt going back for years we don't have enough money to fund them if they got debt of a R150 000 or more etcetera. What they (SRC) are talking about is debt that had been accumulated over years.”

She added that students accumulate debt by changing courses and failing their academic years resulting in funding being pulled.

“For example if somebody registers in a course where they qualify for the hardship funding and they fail for a year or two and NSFAS doesn't fund them anymore and NSFAS new rules are pretty strict about you having to pass before they will continue to fund you.

“This means that they lose the NSFAS funding and they now accumulate debt over the years, they change to another course, or another degree, they then accumulate more debt there which means that they are sitting over hundreds and thousands worth of debt. NSFAS won’t fund them because they haven’t been passing and they now asking to university to fund all students with debt which is just not sustainable.”

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