North-West University (NWU)
A NWU student was assaulted in an apparent racially-motivated attack.
Vincent Chuene told eNCA, “I got slapped, I got jabbed, I got hit with a wheel rack, and another guy got hit with a wheel rack. It was very chaotic because they were hitting every black person in that area.”
His alleged attacker was arrested and has been released on bail.
The university released a statement saying that it is taking the incident seriously.
Chuene has opened a case with the Human Rights Commission.
Tshwane University of Technology (TUT)
Students at TUT burned a campus bus last week Tuesday during a protest action on the main campus.
According to The Citizen, students protested because they are unhappy with the proposed 10% increase in university fees for next year.
Students also demanded that the university drop all charges against their student leaders. Some student leaders have been subjected to discliplinary hearings after the strike in February.
The Citizen reports that students are also demanding free education and financial assistance from the National Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).
University of the Witwatersrand (WITS)
Wits’ Project W has been accused of being biased after using the South African Union of Jewish Students (SAUJS) offices during the SRC election period.
Project W is supposed to be an apolitical organisation and, according to Wits Vuvuzela, “has refused to get in involved in non-student issues, including the war in Gaza.”
Because of Project W not taking a stance on Gaza, and because the organisation used the SAUJS offices, the Progressive Youth Alliance (PYA) at Wits has accused the organisation of being pro-Israel.
PYA’s Shaeera Kalla, however, has accused Project W of being funded by the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD), Wits Vuvuzela reported.
Project W chairperson Jamie Mighti told Wits Vuvuzela that the organisation and its election campaign is funded by members. “We have a budget of about R50 000 and that mostly comes from candidates,” he said.
Project W’s Tim Karayiannides has, in turn, accused Kalla of anti-semitism.
