The academic boycott and peaceful protest organised by the Stellenbosch University (SU) Student Representative Council (SRC) on 20 February was met with force by the South African Police Service (SAPS) and local traffic officials. The SRC’s decision to urge students to halt on-campus activity came one day after the representative body hosted a mass meeting and peaceful protest on 19 February and the announcement of measures issued by SU’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) Stan du Plessis and Registrar Ronel Retief to address student debt. The measures, announced in a communique sent to unregistered students on 19 February, included the extension of the registrationdeadline until 28 February with further concessions considered on a case-by-case basisfor eligible students and temporary access to learning platforms SUNLearn and FMHSLearn. Additionally, the lifting of financial holds for NSFAS-funded students whose outstanding bursary payments cover their fee balance, students with confirmed bursaries or loans that cover outstanding debt and for students with outstanding debt of R10 000 or less who enter into a structured payment plan would be allowed. Eligible students were able to apply for additional support via the Student Debt Working Group until 20 February (later extended to 23 February).
While the registration deadline had been extended and measures had been brought forward by the Rectorate, the SRC and like-minded students expressed concern that the measures put in place were insufficient. “The main purpose of the boycott is to bring urgency to the issues faced by unregistered students and to make sure that they are dealt with urgency,” said Xavier Benyani, vice-chairperson of the SRC. “We felt that the information they gave us touched on far too little and they offered far too little, especially when it came to accommodation, which was not touched on in the communication sent to us.”
Following the disruption of academic class time and limited access to the Neelsie Student Centre, the academic boycott culminated into a sit-in at the Admin B building,which was disrupted by the arrival of SAPS at approximately 16:00. As reported by Stellenbosch Media Forum on 20 February, the South African Police Service (SAPS) chased unarmed students, physically manhandled students, threw stun grenades into the crowd and blocked off both ends of Victoria Street. The SRC later condemned the use of excessive force by SAPS in a statement released on 21 February and claimed that the stun grenades were without warning and not giving the students time to disperse. The SRC also announced its intention to escalate the matter by seeking review via the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) and to file a complaint with the Public Protector, Kholeka Gcaleka.
The academic boycott and protest took place nearly ten years after the Fees Must Fall Movement took root at SU in October 2015. In October 2015, SU student Jodi Williams occupied the Admin B building on Victoria Street. As told to the Sunday newspaper City Press by accounting student Farai Mubaiwa on 25 October 2015, “[It] was an emotional student who just decided to occupy Admin B on Monday [19 October 2015]. The rest of us joined.” The occupation of the Admin B building was one of the first protests in which students called for free education at SU.
A mass communique sent to SU staff and students on 24 February confirmed that the Rectorate set aside R10 million in financial aid to the SDWG and that the Emergency Accommodation Task Team had, as of 26 February, assisted 163 students in finding on-campus and private accommodation. A statement released by the SRC on 26 February also confirmed that students who participated in the protest would not face disciplinary action. No further updates by the SRC regarding the issuing of complaints to the Public Protector or to the IPID have been released as of 27 February.
By Flavia Davids
