UKZN students go on rampage

Protests at the University of KwaZulu-Natal continued on Monday as students marched through its Howard College campus, damaging property and intimidating other students.

The rampage followed violent unrest at the institute’s Edgewood campus last week, where students set a staff member’s car alight.

Students were demanding aid from the National Students Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) and the Funza Lushaka teachers’ bursary.

At Howard College on Monday, hundreds of students walked from block to block, chanting, disrupting lectures, overturning bins and benches, and damaging property as the SA Students’ Congress (Sasco) went on strike. They threatened other students.

The DA has laid charges of intimidation and assault against Sasco.

According to SRC president Mnikeni Phakathi, the students were protesting for several reasons, including the lack of financial aid and accommodation on campus.

“We have been negotiating with the university since October, but they don’t have the capacity to deal with our issues.

“There are only 350 NSFAS packages available for 500 first-year students. There is no funding for postgraduate students. Because students are waiting for financial aid, they are unable to access resources such as the LANs (local area networks) and libraries.

“The university has also said it cannot build more residences because it has no money, so students are coming from distant places and staying at residences illegally. The SRC can’t perform the university’s duties and provide them with these,” Phakathi said.

UKZN spokeswoman Nomonde Mbadi said the SRC had not approached them with its demands, and management had been taken by surprise by the illegal protest.

She urged the protesting students to exercise restraint until their gripes could be dealt with. - The Mercury