JOHANNESBURG – Amid calls for free education from protesting students nationwide, some students at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) say they would like schooling to continue as normal.
Yesterday, police used rubber bullets to disperse protesters who had moved off campus and onto Kingsway Avenue, blocking the flow of traffic.
At the same time at Wits University, management has called for a poll among students on whether academic activities should continue.
Campus activities on UJ’s Kingsway Campus have mostly continued, with a few disruptions during lectures and tutorials by protesters earlier this afternoon.
A student says they were asked to leave their maths tutorial, to join the demonstrations.
“They just came in and told us we shouldn’t be studying or learning anything; since the others are by the fountain we shouldn’t be learning, we should join them and strike. It’s like if we are in class and they are outside it’s like they are crazy and we are trying to be ‘goody two-shoes’ (sic).”
Graduations on campus are continuing as planned and the media has to be escorted onto campus, which management says is for safety reasons.
(Edited by Masechaba Sefularo)