Johannesburg -- As Wits University students continue their protest action over accommodation fees, the African Transformation Movement says it is in support of a non-violent protest by Wits University students who are fighting for their rights to free education, which has been promised to them by the 5th administration.
On Friday, the student protest action almost turned violent after students and security personnel clashed with some of the students caught carrying stones.
On Friday, human rights organisation Amnesty International South Africa called on Wits security to exercise restraint when dealing with students, adding that force should be used as a last resort.
A strong police presence in addition to the security personnel was called on to restore law and order following incidents of stone-throwing and the potential escalation of the protest as students intensified their fight.
The students are calling for the university to do away with historic debt, which prevents some of them from registering, as well as the National Student Financial Aid Scheme’s (NSFAS) residence cap of R45 000 and for the university to extend the hardship fund.
ATM spokesperson Zama Ntshona said the party is disturbed by the ongoing protest after the 5th administration announced free education at all institutions of higher learning.
The party said some of the barriers to higher education are man-made problems due to the capitalistic nature of the universities themselves.
"Every year around this time, students have consistently took to the streets in an attempt to highlight their plight as poor working-class students. These issues raised today are identical to the ones raised in 2015. Students are refused education because of historical debt, and NSFAS students are refused accommodation because of upfront payments and exorbitant housing fees on campus and around the university," Ntshona said.
The party said it rejects the denial of higher education to deserving students from poor households on the basis of their finances.
"Education is a basic human right and ought to be made free and accessible to all without exception. This means no student should sleep in the library or sneak into the gym for a shower. This inhumane treatment of our tertiary students has to come to an end," the party said.
The students said they would continue their protest action this week until their demands are met by the university management.
The Star