The legal battle between the management of the Bloemfontein campus of the Central University of Technology (CUT), Free State, and the student representative council (SRC), led by EFF student command (EFF SC), is expected to continue in the Free State High Court. The matter is set for Thursday (10/03).
The student body is aggrieved with the CUT’s management for obtaining an urgent court interdict on 11 February.
The CUT resorted to legal action after days of disruptive protests by a disgruntled group of students led by the EFF-SC. The interdict was granted after rioting students ran amok on the campus, barricading the institution’s main entrance with garbage.
Judge Pitso Molitsoane presided over the matter between 14 representatives of the EFF-SC, who were the respondents, and the CUT management as applicant.
In terms of the interdict, the respondents must show cause why the CUT should not be granted an order.
It prohibits the student body from directly or indirectly doing anything further that directly or indirectly would obstruct, impede and delay academic registration and other important functions of the institution at the Bloemfontein campus. The interdict also prevents rioters from perpetrating any forms of violence, or intimidating CUT employees and other individuals on campus.
Furthermore, the interdict states that the costs of the application will be paid by any of the respondents opposing the application and not adhering to the order.
Sporadic, violent protest by a group of disgruntled students temporarily disrupted the university’s plan to start the academic year smoothly.
It emerged that the students were venting their anger and frustration in the wake of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme’s (NSFAS) delay in making immediate payment to successful candidates. In addition, students demanded of the CUT to register all returning students with immediate effect. To this Dr Sally Dzingwa, registrar at the CUT, responded by saying that the institution had exceeded the 2022 enrolment target and was over 100,09%.
Angry students lamented bitterly that the delayed payment was negatively affecting their livelihood and academic programmes.
Ernest Khosa, chairperson of the NSFAS board, said during a fact-finding visit to the CUT in December that 70% of students enrolled here were dependent on the financial aid scheme.
