The University of Cape Town is to investigate claims of unnecessary force being used by members of the campus security earlier this week against protesting students demanding free tertiary education‚ UCT vice chancellor Dr Max Price disclosed on Thursday.
At the same time‚ he re-emphasised that the university remained committed to the successful completion of the 2016 academic year and said the university intended embarking on a process of mediation through an Institutional Reconciliation and Transformation Commission (IRTC).
Cops called onto UCT campus after students throw petrol bomb
In a message to university staff and students on Thursday‚ Price said the decision to close the university for the remainder of this was unfortunate‚ but had been taken in light of an environment that was clearly not conducive to teaching and learning.
He said the executive had hoped to keep the university open by increasing the presence of security. it was clear‚ however‚ that this was having the opposite effect.
“Conflict intensified‚ resulting in an increasingly polarised university community‚” Price added.
“We reported to the community on the situation at the Steve Biko Students’ Union building on Tuesday evening.
Since that communication‚ reports have reached us that the behaviour by some members of the private security company who were present that evening escalated the violence or added to the conflict‚ or that they acted with unnecessary force. I have arranged for this to be investigated immediately‚” he stated.
He added that with the prevailing conditions on campus‚ not only was the academic project itself seriously compromised “but we also risk creating scars‚ which will imperil healing in the future”.
“We must find a way out of this impasse and we must strive to overcome the deep divisions that presently characterise our institution.
“The overwhelming consensus emerging is that we need to embark immediately on a process of mediation through an Institutional Reconciliation and Transformation Commission (IRTC).
“The executive is presently working with all the major university stakeholders towards achieving this objective. The IRTC will focus on all the pressing issues that continue to divide us and are preventing the resumption of the academic programme‚” Price said.
He added: “The executive remains committed to the successful completion of the 2016 academic year. We believe that through this process of mediation we will find enough common ground to act in the best interests of the university community as a whole. Also‚ we have a task team that is looking at alternative scenarios for completing the academic year‚ given that we will lose at least three weeks of teaching. Each dean is looking at their respective faculty options too. We are developing alternative scenarios that include how to complete the academic year even if there is no more face-to-face teaching in the rest of this semester. We are trying to find solutions‚ even if they are not perfect.
“Over these days that the university is closed‚ the executive will be engaged in intensive discussions aimed at moving the university forward. It is our fervent hope and belief that this process will yield the best possible outcome and that it will lead to a solution that the whole campus community can embrace and support.”
UCT to probe claims of unnecessary force by campus security
The University of Cape Town is to investigate claims of unnecessary force being used by members of the campus security earlier this week against protesting students demanding free tertiary education‚ UCT vice chancellor Dr Max Price disclosed on Thursday.
At the same time‚ he re-emphasised that the university remained committed to the successful completion of the 2016 academic year and said the university intended embarking on a process of mediation through an Institutional Reconciliation and Transformation Commission (IRTC).
Cops called onto UCT campus after students throw petrol bomb
In a message to university staff and students on Thursday‚ Price said the decision to close the university for the remainder of this was unfortunate‚ but had been taken in light of an environment that was clearly not conducive to teaching and learning.
He said the executive had hoped to keep the university open by increasing the presence of security. it was clear‚ however‚ that this was having the opposite effect.
“Conflict intensified‚ resulting in an increasingly polarised university community‚” Price added.
“We reported to the community on the situation at the Steve Biko Students’ Union building on Tuesday evening.
Since that communication‚ reports have reached us that the behaviour by some members of the private security company who were present that evening escalated the violence or added to the conflict‚ or that they acted with unnecessary force. I have arranged for this to be investigated immediately‚” he stated.
He added that with the prevailing conditions on campus‚ not only was the academic project itself seriously compromised “but we also risk creating scars‚ which will imperil healing in the future”.
“We must find a way out of this impasse and we must strive to overcome the deep divisions that presently characterise our institution.
“The overwhelming consensus emerging is that we need to embark immediately on a process of mediation through an Institutional Reconciliation and Transformation Commission (IRTC).
“The executive is presently working with all the major university stakeholders towards achieving this objective. The IRTC will focus on all the pressing issues that continue to divide us and are preventing the resumption of the academic programme‚” Price said.
He added: “The executive remains committed to the successful completion of the 2016 academic year. We believe that through this process of mediation we will find enough common ground to act in the best interests of the university community as a whole. Also‚ we have a task team that is looking at alternative scenarios for completing the academic year‚ given that we will lose at least three weeks of teaching. Each dean is looking at their respective faculty options too. We are developing alternative scenarios that include how to complete the academic year even if there is no more face-to-face teaching in the rest of this semester. We are trying to find solutions‚ even if they are not perfect.
“Over these days that the university is closed‚ the executive will be engaged in intensive discussions aimed at moving the university forward. It is our fervent hope and belief that this process will yield the best possible outcome and that it will lead to a solution that the whole campus community can embrace and support.”
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