Mike Mpanya’s life has come to a standstill as he is unable to register for his final year of his law studies at Wits University because he owes the institution R109,000.
Mpanya, 25, is one of more than 8,000 students who have been excluded by the institution due to historical debt.
Mpanya said he relied on his parents to pay his fees and is now bearing the brunt of the lockdown that was put in place in March last year.
“My parents have always been paying for my study fees with no problems. Last year, our family business was impacted by the lockdown and as a result they could not pay for my fees. I explained my situation to the dean of our faculty but I was told to pay half the amount [I owe] in order to be able to register [for my final year],” he said.
The exclusion has led to students taking to the streets in protests that claimed the life of an innocent man who was coming from a clinic and left several students injured after police fired rubber bullets to disperse the crowd in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, yesterday.
“I have a brilliant academic record and I am even on the dean’s list as a top-performing student in constitutional law. It feels like my hard work is going down the drain. The worst part is, instead of resolving the issues, the university has called police on us,” Mpanya said.
Wits University student representative council (SRC) president Mpendulo Mfeka said there were 8,140 students affected by historical debt.
“We tried to raise funds for them but the money we raised was not enough. We are now fighting for each and every student to be registered and not left behind. Registration should not be a privilege for a few but every student deserves quality education despite their background,” he said.
Lesego Louw, a postgraduate student at Wits Business School, said she owed R42,000.
“I don’t know what will happen if we are not allowed to register,” she said.
Wits spokesperson Shirona Patel said the institution was doing everything to help the affected students.
“The university availed a Wits Hardship Fund of R10m to assist students experiencing financial hardship and with historical debt of up to R120,000 to register and secure accommodation, provided that they meet the criteria.
“Wits has also established a Wits Covid-19 relief fund worth R10m to assist students whose families have been impacted by the pandemic,” she said.
SA Union of Students spokesperson Thabo Shingange said they met with the SRC and have written a letter of demand to minister of higher education Blade Nzimande.
“We have also met with other student leaders from other universities and TVET colleges. The student leaders have given us a mandate to shut down all institutions of higher learning if our demands are not met,” Shingange said.
Meanwhile, higher education department spokesperson Ishmael Mnisi said Nzimande would like to pass his condolences to the family and friends of the 35-year-old who was shot and killed during the protest yesterday.
“The minister is in contact with the Wits council and university management to establish the fact behind this unfortunate occurrence and the challenges that are experienced by students at this institution. He has also asked the law-enforcement agencies to swiftly investigate the circumstances that led to the death of an the civilian,” he said.
He said Nzimande condemns any form of violent protest.
