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Wits Students Strike Continues

In Johannesburg, Wits University students have continued to protest financial marginalization, past debt, and a lack of finance. The student representative council (SRC) has declared a campus closure, citing housing challenges and financial exclusion as the causes. The SRC has sought the abolition of the R45,000 ceiling on accommodation allowances supplied by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), as well as the allocation of an additional R30 million to the Hardship Fund’s accommodation allowance in order to secure more beds for homeless students.

Due to NSFAS limits, students have started sleeping in libraries since they cannot afford accommodation. To aid students in need, Wits University has acquired 350 beds from licensed private lodging providers, but this is insufficient.

Another concern cited by the SRC is the inability of students to enrol due to debt. In the past few weeks, the SRC has conducted a campaign to gather cash for these students and has received an R1 million gift from the Motsepe Foundation to assist in the elimination of student debt. Nevertheless, the Student Representative Council has urged that all students owing R150,000 or less be permitted to enrol for the 2023 academic year, which would need additional funding.

A poet and medical student at Wits, Nonhlanhla Siwela, considers the decision to protest “essential.” She argues that students are unfairly discriminated against based on socioeconomic background inequalities, and that the NSFAS fails to alleviate these discrepancies, hence increasing students’ current challenges.

Wits University issued a statement stating the demonstrations “came as a surprise” after the SRC and administration had been discussing the concerns for weeks. The institution asserts that it has collaborated with the SRC to seek financing for academically qualified students to attend college. Yet, students and the SRC are unsatisfied with the progress that has been made and urge more substantial modifications.

The student demonstrations at Wits University illustrate the continued financial difficulties South African students confront. Uncertainty surrounds the duration of the demonstrations, but the students are ready to fight until their demands are realized.

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