2015 has been a particularly eventful at tertiary institutions‚ where students embarked on a string of protest campaigns.
As a result‚ numerous groups and online communities have been formed and the student experience has given rise to documentaries that have garnered international media coverage.
The following list chronicles some of the protests that have happened this year including Wedneday’s (14 October) #WitsFeesMustFall campaign.
January 2015 – Johannesburg
#TransformWits was launched in response to protests at the University of the Witwatersrand (WITS) earlier this year against financial exclusion after financial aid to help finance poor students’ studies was converted into loans.
Students protested at the main Braamfontein campus a few weeks before classes were set to resume‚ accusing the university’s management of marginalising the poor and vulnerable.
More than 800 students funded by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) had to carry over “debt” from 2014’s unpaid study fees but were still required to pay the R9 300 registration fee upfront – a fee they previously relied on NSFAS to pay. Their inability to afford the fees prevented them from continuing with their studies.
March 2015 – Cape Town
#RhodesMustFall: Described on its website as “a collective movement of students and staff members mobilising for direct action against the reality of institutional racism at the University of Cape Town (UCT)”‚ the movement formed as a direct result of the Open Air dialogue that took place at the university in March this year.
UCT’s students protested‚ calling for the removal of a statue of Cecil John Rhodes‚ which sparked a debate on race relations‚ transformation‚ access and funding at the university.
The campaign for the statue’s removal received global attention and led to a wider movement to “decolonise” education across South Africa. The statue was removed on April 9 2015‚ following a UCT Council vote.
15 April 2015 – Cape Town
#OpenStellenbosch: A group that describe itself as “a collective of students‚ staff‚ and faculty interested in purging the oppressive remnants of apartheid in pursuit of a truly African University” gained traction after protests against the use of Afrikaans as the language of instruction at Stellenbosch University rocked campus in May this year.
The release of a documentary titled Luister in August strengthened support for the #OpenStellenbosch movement and brought in a flood of attention.
8 May 2015 – Pretoria
University of South Africa (UNISA) students protested at the main entrance to the Parow premises on Friday May 8 to have their long list of demands heard by the institution.
In a memorandum compiled by the students‚ they listed grievances against the racial composition of exam invigilators and access to study venues.
Students also had grievances over the employment of temporary workers instead of permanent ones‚ an unreliable courier company that did not deliver study material on time‚ lack of access to a computer lab and the university’s slow Wi-Fi connection.
They also called for old‚ outdated books to be removed from the library to create space for up-to-date and prescribed books.
According UNISA Spokesperson Martin Ramotshela: “The Regional Student Representative Council (SRC) has previously engaged regional management on these matters. Where an intervention was immediately possible‚ this was duly done.”
He also stated that UNISA advised the SRC to channel larger issues through the National SRC.
23 July 2015 – Durban
Angry students shut down lectures for the day as they made their way through the Durban University of Technology campus‚ pulling students out of lectures‚ forcing them to join the march while singing liberation songs calling for transformation at the university.
Durban University of Technology Senior Director of Corporate Affairs‚ Alan Khan‚ said the fact that most heads of departments and deans are from either white or Indian communities “is clearly a legacy of our past. A number of steps have been taken to address the imbalances.”
He denied the SRC’s claims that students who rely on the NSFAS had not received their qualifications and the university would respond to their grievances in writing.
25 August 2015 – Grahamstown
Just as transformation in higher education took centre stage in the media‚ the Black Student Movement (BSM) carried out a sit-in out at Rhodes University’s management offices in the final week of August.
This was in protest against financial exclusions in addition to demands for lower registration‚ tuition and residence fees‚ cheaper printing and internet facilities‚ and for a solution to the lack of food and accommodation for students who cannot afford to go home during the school break.
The BSM currently occupies the management offices which they have renamed “the BSM Commons”‚ where they continue to hold meetings while trying to raise funds to further their cause.
31 August 2015 — Durban
UNISA students gathered to protest changes to examination venues in KwaZulu-Natal‚ Cape Town and East London as well as the university’s application and registration process for the 2016 academic year.
The acting university registrar met with students in Durban later that day to discuss their concerns.
The university used the opportunity to explain the changes it had made but did nothing to meet the student’s demands.
1 September 2015 – Cape Town
Protesters and non-protesting students exchanged blows at the University of Stellebosch’s Elensburg Agricultural College after another protest against language policy took a violent turn.
As a short term solution‚ lectures were duplicated and classes were lengthened to accommodate students being taught in English and Afrikaans. The college plans to introduce a new language policy which it plans to implement in January 2016.
14 September 2015 – Vanderbjilpark
Students embarked on a protest demanding that the university improve its security following the deaths of two students at the residence near campus earlier that month.
A solution has yet to be found.
16 September 2015 – Durban
A protest initially broke out on September 13 at the University of KwaZulu-Natal Westville campus.
Additional protests broke out on September 15 at the Pietermaritzburg campus.
The cause was never clarified but a statement released by the African National Congress Youth League attributed the unrest to the fact that UKZN had terminated the registration appeals committee process which allowed students owing the university to pay their debts in instalments while continuing their studies.
The campus was closed for two days and students only returned after the Spring recess.
14 October 2015 – Johannesburg
#WitsFeesMustFall is currently trending on Twitter with minute-by-minute updates of students taking a stand against the University of the Witwatersrand’s plan to increase fees by 10% in 2016.
The increase will require some students to pay an upfront fee of just under R10 000 at the beginning of the year.
Students from the Accounting Students Council (ASC)‚ the All Residence Council (ARC) and the Student Representative Council (SRC) embarked on a protest that saw students block entrances to the campus by lying down in front of gates to stop any cars from entering or leaving the campus.
The tactic was meant to demonstrate how access would be restricted if the planned increase went ahead.
A timeline of student protests
2015 has been a particularly eventful at tertiary institutions‚ where students embarked on a string of protest campaigns.
As a result‚ numerous groups and online communities have been formed and the student experience has given rise to documentaries that have garnered international media coverage.
The following list chronicles some of the protests that have happened this year including Wedneday’s (14 October) #WitsFeesMustFall campaign.
January 2015 – Johannesburg
#TransformWits was launched in response to protests at the University of the Witwatersrand (WITS) earlier this year against financial exclusion after financial aid to help finance poor students’ studies was converted into loans.
Students protested at the main Braamfontein campus a few weeks before classes were set to resume‚ accusing the university’s management of marginalising the poor and vulnerable.
More than 800 students funded by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) had to carry over “debt” from 2014’s unpaid study fees but were still required to pay the R9 300 registration fee upfront – a fee they previously relied on NSFAS to pay. Their inability to afford the fees prevented them from continuing with their studies.
March 2015 – Cape Town
#RhodesMustFall: Described on its website as “a collective movement of students and staff members mobilising for direct action against the reality of institutional racism at the University of Cape Town (UCT)”‚ the movement formed as a direct result of the Open Air dialogue that took place at the university in March this year.
UCT’s students protested‚ calling for the removal of a statue of Cecil John Rhodes‚ which sparked a debate on race relations‚ transformation‚ access and funding at the university.
The campaign for the statue’s removal received global attention and led to a wider movement to “decolonise” education across South Africa. The statue was removed on April 9 2015‚ following a UCT Council vote.
15 April 2015 – Cape Town
#OpenStellenbosch: A group that describe itself as “a collective of students‚ staff‚ and faculty interested in purging the oppressive remnants of apartheid in pursuit of a truly African University” gained traction after protests against the use of Afrikaans as the language of instruction at Stellenbosch University rocked campus in May this year.
The release of a documentary titled Luister in August strengthened support for the #OpenStellenbosch movement and brought in a flood of attention.
8 May 2015 – Pretoria
University of South Africa (UNISA) students protested at the main entrance to the Parow premises on Friday May 8 to have their long list of demands heard by the institution.
In a memorandum compiled by the students‚ they listed grievances against the racial composition of exam invigilators and access to study venues.
Students also had grievances over the employment of temporary workers instead of permanent ones‚ an unreliable courier company that did not deliver study material on time‚ lack of access to a computer lab and the university’s slow Wi-Fi connection.
They also called for old‚ outdated books to be removed from the library to create space for up-to-date and prescribed books.
According UNISA Spokesperson Martin Ramotshela: “The Regional Student Representative Council (SRC) has previously engaged regional management on these matters. Where an intervention was immediately possible‚ this was duly done.”
He also stated that UNISA advised the SRC to channel larger issues through the National SRC.
23 July 2015 – Durban
Angry students shut down lectures for the day as they made their way through the Durban University of Technology campus‚ pulling students out of lectures‚ forcing them to join the march while singing liberation songs calling for transformation at the university.
Durban University of Technology Senior Director of Corporate Affairs‚ Alan Khan‚ said the fact that most heads of departments and deans are from either white or Indian communities “is clearly a legacy of our past. A number of steps have been taken to address the imbalances.”
He denied the SRC’s claims that students who rely on the NSFAS had not received their qualifications and the university would respond to their grievances in writing.
25 August 2015 – Grahamstown
Just as transformation in higher education took centre stage in the media‚ the Black Student Movement (BSM) carried out a sit-in out at Rhodes University’s management offices in the final week of August.
This was in protest against financial exclusions in addition to demands for lower registration‚ tuition and residence fees‚ cheaper printing and internet facilities‚ and for a solution to the lack of food and accommodation for students who cannot afford to go home during the school break.
The BSM currently occupies the management offices which they have renamed “the BSM Commons”‚ where they continue to hold meetings while trying to raise funds to further their cause.
31 August 2015 — Durban
UNISA students gathered to protest changes to examination venues in KwaZulu-Natal‚ Cape Town and East London as well as the university’s application and registration process for the 2016 academic year.
The acting university registrar met with students in Durban later that day to discuss their concerns.
The university used the opportunity to explain the changes it had made but did nothing to meet the student’s demands.
1 September 2015 – Cape Town
Protesters and non-protesting students exchanged blows at the University of Stellebosch’s Elensburg Agricultural College after another protest against language policy took a violent turn.
As a short term solution‚ lectures were duplicated and classes were lengthened to accommodate students being taught in English and Afrikaans. The college plans to introduce a new language policy which it plans to implement in January 2016.
14 September 2015 – Vanderbjilpark
Students embarked on a protest demanding that the university improve its security following the deaths of two students at the residence near campus earlier that month.
A solution has yet to be found.
16 September 2015 – Durban
A protest initially broke out on September 13 at the University of KwaZulu-Natal Westville campus.
Additional protests broke out on September 15 at the Pietermaritzburg campus.
The cause was never clarified but a statement released by the African National Congress Youth League attributed the unrest to the fact that UKZN had terminated the registration appeals committee process which allowed students owing the university to pay their debts in instalments while continuing their studies.
The campus was closed for two days and students only returned after the Spring recess.
14 October 2015 – Johannesburg
#WitsFeesMustFall is currently trending on Twitter with minute-by-minute updates of students taking a stand against the University of the Witwatersrand’s plan to increase fees by 10% in 2016.
The increase will require some students to pay an upfront fee of just under R10 000 at the beginning of the year.
Students from the Accounting Students Council (ASC)‚ the All Residence Council (ARC) and the Student Representative Council (SRC) embarked on a protest that saw students block entrances to the campus by lying down in front of gates to stop any cars from entering or leaving the campus.
The tactic was meant to demonstrate how access would be restricted if the planned increase went ahead.
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