The South African Students Congress (SASCO) has said that protests will continue at the Mangosuthu University of Technology.
While talking to eNCA, a member of SASCO said:
We did not agree to stop the protest because all the issues that were just raised, there is not one that has been attended to.
They have said that there has been no solutions offered to the problems which prompted the protest action.
Demands included to have the NSFAS appeals process begin, to see an increase in student accommodation, to have changes in residence deposits and modules, appeals for academic exclusions to begin and for better support for the missing middle.
The main demand students have is for historic debt to be wiped which Government has said they can't afford to do.
We will stop the unrest when all student issues have been resolved.
Police and students were at war last week when protest action took a violent turn. Protestors have resorted to completely destroying roads and damaging infrastructure so that their demands can be met. Protestor were lining up and taunting the police, while the police were trying to get all the protestors to leave MUT's property.
The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee has expressed concern when it comes to protests within Higher Education.
The Chairperson for the Portfolio Committee of Higher Education, Philly Mapulane, said:
We are very worried about what is happening currently in Higher Education. We thought that the situation was stabilising after the national shutdown that was called for by SAUS.
Cabinet has requested a proposal which must be tabled before the end of June so that these issues can be dealt with.
The Portfolio Committee is now engaging with student leaders and University management to resolve these issues.
