The University of Cape Town (UCT) has agreed, in principle, to employ its workers directly, and charges were dropped against 23 protesters. But at Wits, students and reporters were intimidated by protesters. Here are reports of today's protest activities from Cape Town, East London and Johannesburg.
GroundUp staff
News | 28 October 2015
Many universities have postponed exams due to protest action. Here is an update of the situation at various institutions based on their official communications as of 16:00 on 28 October.
Ashleigh Furlong
News | 28 October 2015
An uneasy calm has returned to Masiphumelele, but residents say they are preparing further protests on Friday, when a community leader charged with murder is due to appear in court.
GroundUp Staff and Bernard Chiguvare
News | 28 October 2015
Despite the South African Schools Act prohibiting the use of corporal punishment, caning continues in many schools. Now a Pietermaritzburg mother has had enough, and she's laid a complaint with the police against her son's school principal.
Ntombi Mbomvu
News | 28 October 2015
In October 2012, then Western Cape police commissioner, Lieutenant General Arno Lamoer, promised that a new satellite police station would be opened in Nyanga. Three years later, the promise has not yet been kept. Nor is it clear what steps have been taken to address a multitude of problems raised by a parliamentary committee a year ago.
GroundUp staff and Tariro Washinyira
News | 28 October 2015
Moedie Motlanke, 53, who works for a catering company which has a contract with the University of Cape Town, has been involved in the student protests since they began last week.
Ashleigh Furlong and Pasqua Heard
News | 27 October 2015
University of Fort Hare students have vowed to continue with their #FeesMustFall protests after an exchange of letters with Vice-Chancellor Mvuyo Tom.
Nombulelo Damba-Hendrik and Siphesihle Matyila
News | 27 October 2015
Learners from the Centre for Science and Technology (COSAT), Khayelitsha, aired their first high school radio show last week. And they’re not shying away from difficult topics. The group, known as the Optimistic Youth Reporters (OYR), debated teenage pregnancy in a twenty minute live broadcast for staff and their fellow students in the school hall.
Pasqua Heard
News | 27 October 2015
Exams and classes have been postponed indefinitely in a number of universities, as student protests continued. The main focus of demonstrations is shifting to the issue of outsourced workers at tertiary institutions. Differences among students about how to proceed have come to the fore. At some institutions accusations and counter-accusations of intimidation were made between students representing opposing views.
GroundUp Staff
News | 26 October 2015
Mineworkers with silicosis and TB will have to wait a while to find out whether they can be represented as a class in legal action for damages against the gold mines which employed them.
Pete Lewis
News | 26 October 2015
While the student demonstrations were taking place, the sporadic protests that have been taking place in Masiphumelele resumed in the early hours of Friday morning after a community leader was arrested.
GroundUp Staff
News | 26 October 2015
From Pretoria to East London, from Cape Town to Stellenbosch, and even in London, students and their supporters demanded a zero percent increase to fees. But while most of the protests were peaceful, at UWC and Pretoria protesters and police clashed.
GroundUp Staff
News | 23 October 2015
Students will shut down universities until there is agreement on a 0% fee increase next year, representatives of student organisations said in Cape Town last night.
GroundUp staff
News | 23 October 2015
If the court did not decide in favour of the gold miners in the silicosis case, hundreds of thousands of sick miners and their families would not be heard, advocates for the mineworkers told the Gauteng High Court yesterday.
Pete Lewis
News | 23 October 2015