Lectures at the Durban University of Technology were suspended for two days following protests over fees that rocked two of the institution’s campuses.
|||Durban – Lectures at the Durban University of Technology were suspended for two days following protests over fees that rocked two of the institution’s campuses in Durban and Pietermaritzburg on Monday.
University spokesman Alan Khan said that the decision to postpone the lectures had been taken by the university’s management.
Earlier on Monday, several hundred students from Durban’s University of Technology protested over fees.
Police spokeswoman Lieutenant Nqobile Gwala said about 500 students marched from the university’s Steve Biko campus to its City Campus on Anton Lembede (Smith) Street.
She said the protests were over registration fees and other issues associated with higher education.
“There was another protest at DUT’s Indumiso campus where about 150 students were protesting. No incidents were reported and the students have dispersed,” she said.
The protests on Monday followed an incident on Friday where a student fell six floors to his death at one of the university residences.
Gwala said she was aware of the incident and that an inquest docket had been opened at the Durban Central police station.
Social media networks were abuzz with claims that the 19-year-old man Lindelani Mfeka from Dundee had leapt to his death after being refused funding by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).
Gwala, however, said police were not aware of the motive behind Mfeka’s death.
Khan said: “We offer our condolences to the family and friends.”
He said he could not comment on the circumstances surrounding Mfeka’s death as police were still investigating these. He said that according to the university’s records, Mfeka was not listed as a NSFAS-funded student, but as a self-paying student, who had paid his registration fees of R2 100 as well as the initial residence fee of R2 100.
He said that the university was not in a position to comment on any interactions between Mfeka and NSFAS, as it had not been party to those interactions.
He said the university had offered counselling to Mfeka’s friends and family and would be contributing towards Mfeka’s funeral.
On the suspension of lectures, Khan said: “We feel that this 48-hour suspension will give us a chance to further respond to the issues raised by the SRC in Durban and Pietermaritzburg.”
Lectures are expected to resume on Thursday.
African News Agency
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