[lg policy] South Africa: University of Pretoria 'like Alcatraz' - EFF students

Wed Jun 8 15:49:37 UTC 2016

 University of Pretoria 'like Alcatraz' - EFF students 2016-06-08 08:43

Karabo Ngoepe, News24
[image: Students clashing with police and security at the University of
Pretoria. (Karabo Ngoepe, News24)]

Students clashing with police and security at the University of Pretoria.
(Karabo Ngoepe, News24)

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Pretoria- The Economic Freedom Fighters Student Command (EFFSC) at the
University of Pretoria has accused the institution of silencing students
who try to voice their concerns regarding the process dealing with the
university's language policy.

"Students are being silenced because the university still has the court
order hanging over their heads," EFFSC transformation officer Onthatile
Marang told News24.

"We can't even have peaceful demonstrations. Every time we try to do
anything there are police here. The place is like Alcatraz."

The institution has been looking at ways to deal with its language policy
following protests over the use of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction.
Earlier in the year there were clashes between students after a call by
organisations, including the EFF, that Afrikaans be removed as a medium of
instruction at the university. The clashes led to the university
temporarily closing down. The institution then introduced processes to find
an amicable solution that would suit all parties.

The various stakeholders have been attending lekgotlas that were looking
into the issue but the EFFSC says they have pulled out of the processes as
they did not believe they would yield results.

During a lekgotla that was held in February, stakeholders were allegedly
told to sign a peace accord that would see the institution lifting the
court order and engaging student organisations going forward.

"The university was supposed to sign the peace accord and lift the court
order but the vice-chancellor did not do that. They keep using it to
silence students every time we try to raise issues. There was a time we
went to the administrative building to speak to the vice-chancellor and
assist a student but we found public order police and security there," said
Marang.

*No decision-making powers*

During the same lekgotla, work streams to deal with language, curriculum
transformation and residence life were allegedly set up, but the student
body says the process was done without consultation with the other
stakeholders and it was imposed on them. They say they have decided to pull
out of the processes.

The organisation's Amla Monageng said they scrutinised the work streams and
realised they had no decision-making powers and the people that were
appointed to lead them were imposed on them.

"As the EFF we analysed why they were established but we then discovered
that they don't have any decision-making powers. Even the lekgotla itself
doesn't have powers but can only make recommendations. Secondly, we have
streams facilitated by people who never diagnosed any problems in the
system," he said.

Monageng said the people leading the process were employees of the
institution who had been there for many decades and never saw anything
wrong with the status quo

The university wanted to dictate to them how things should happen and what
should be considered, he said.

"We had the challenge of the terms of reference. The university comes on
board to negotiate but it dictates the terms of reference to us. Also the
time frames that were put on the table.”

Monageng also questioned how the university could appoint an independent
body to look at the issue of transformation while the working streams were
looking into the matter.

"We can't have two parallel processes. What if one decides that we should
have [the university's] language policy and the other one says we should
have a multi-language policy? We are still confused ourselves by these two
processes," he said.

*Two sides to a story*

The general secretary of the student branch of the EFF at the University of
Pretoria, Wezile Madonsela said they wanted to give their side of the
story, which the university was not allowing the rest of the country to
hear.

"South Africa needs to know what the media has not reported on regarding
what AfrikaansMustFall is all about. We are labeled as aggravators and
inciters of violence," she said.

University of Pretoria spokesperson Anna-Retha Bouwer told News24 that
during a recent sitting of the senate, the language policy was discussed
but no final decision was reached. She disputed claims that the stream
leaders were imposed on students.

"The mandate of the work streams and their composition were decided at the
first lekgotla. The option to choose their own chairperson was open to all
work streams. At least two work streams utilised this option. In one case a
student co-chair was elected, in another the convener was unanimously asked
to chair," she said.

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/university-of-pretoria-like-alcatraz-eff-students-20160608

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