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UFS entrance at Qwaqwa campus.
Students say vacating the University of the Free State Qwa Qwa campus mid-month is inconveniencing those coming from disadvantaged families. They say going back home at this point is financially distressing. The university ordered students to vacate the campus within 24 hours following protests on Monday night which left some property damaged.
Students are against the scrapping of provisional registration which many say its closing education opportunities for disadvantaged students. This student says it’s unfortunate that everything is happening while they are preparing for exams.
“So, when things are like this, we only depend on the allowance that we get, the food allowance that we get from NSFAS. So, after they told us that we have to vacate the premises, it was very shattering because we already used the money to buy groceries and we are in the middle of the month of October, and we were expecting to be done with our tests to be able to know whether we qualify for exams or not. However, things are disrupted and we are now supposed to use our own money to go back home, and they said that we should wait for confirmation till further notice. We don’t know when is further notice,” a student said.
Eight more students from the University of the Free State’s main campus in Bloemfontein have been arrested for blockading the main road near the campus. They are protesting against the university’s decision to scrap provisional registration.
All academic activities have been suspended on all three campuses of the institution. The last remaining students at the Qwaqwa campus left their residences this morning.
Free State Police Spokesperson Thabo Covane says the latest arrests emanate from the Bloemfontein campus protests.
“Eight protesters believed to be University of the Free State students were arrested this morning at about 07h20 for blocking DF Malherbe Avenue, adjacent to Gate 5 of the university. Six males aged between 19 and 24 and two females aged 19 and 20 were arrested and a case docket of public violence with additional charges of Contravention of Criminal Matters Amendment Act and Contravention of Road Traffic Act was opened at Parkweg Police Station,” says Covane.
Video: UFS students face charges of malicious damage to property and attempted arson
