Violence at universities is ruining the integrity of tertiary education. I was taken aback when I heard that students at two universities were on strike last week. Universities have many channels of communicating which students representative councils should use.

Violence at universities is ruining the integrity of tertiary education. I was taken aback when I heard that students at two universities were on strike last week. Universities have many channels of communicating which students representative councils should use.

It is very sad that University of Johannesburg students went on a rampage despite a court interdict having been obtained by the university. Students are being taken for a ride by their SRCs, which should be mediating for students instead of calling on them to strike.

Genuine leaders do not pursue the interests of the executive at the expense of students. In fact, yearly fee increases are normal at academic institutions, but some people want to gain cheap popularity by persuading students to strike.

At the Turfloop campus, we once had a similar problem when tuition fees were increased without consultation. The poor SRC that represented us said we should not register until the fee issue was resolved. But ironically, the SRC president had already registered when the call was made.

It is clear that not all SRCs have the interests of students at heart. If they do, how can they persuade students to strike when an interdict preventing a strike exists. Many students will be expelled and this will put their futures in limbo. Violence is not a solution.

Themba Thobela, Turfloop