Letter from Prof Tyrone Pretorius, Rector and Vice-Chancellor, University of the Western Cape, to the campus community, 16 November 2015
Dear Campus Community
16 November 2015
The sit-down examinations for final year students started this morning as planned. For today’s session more than 400 students elected to write the examination at an off-campus venue. We presume that the remainder of those that were supposed to write today elected to write either the second opportunity exams in December or the exams scheduled for January. However, there are also many students who were prevented from leaving residences this morning as well as scores of students who reported being so traumatised that they are unable to write this week.
The logistics for this morning involved transporting some students in buses from campus. Regrettably, since early this morning, the protesting students allegedly focussed on ensuring that residence students were not able to proceed to the buses and blocked access to the buses. In addition, we have several reports with photographic evidence of litter bins all over campus being stock-piled with bricks, stones, sticks and shields. Again some protestors were wearing masks and balaclavas. There was also another attempt this morning to burn down the Residence Life (ResLife) building where a coffee shop was completely gutted by the fire.
When events transpired on campus this morning, we immediately informed deans and the executive portfolios and asked them to communicate to staff that it is not safe to be on campus and the security also attempted to stop staff from entering the campus. Under these circumstances it is probably advisable that staff refrain from entering campus until advised otherwise. In instances where it is absolutely necessary, please make the prior arrangements with respective deans and line managers.
Further communication will follow soon.
Yours sincerely
Prof Tyrone Pretorius
Rector and Vice-Chancellor
Update:
Further to my update of this morning, I wish to reiterate that, until further notice, it is still not advisable for staff to come onto campus. We have been monitoring the situation throughout the day. There continues to be a group of protestors on campus and the situation remains tense and volatile. As communicated earlier, a part of the Residence Life (ResLife) building was set on fire.
Later this morning protestors were seen moving around the residences with tyres. Security and the Police confronted them and confiscated approximately 70 tyres. The litter bins containing bricks, stones, sticks and shields that I referred to in my earlier message, were also confiscated. Protestors also forced open the turnstile gate on Robert Sobukwe Road and forced their way onto campus. We are not sure whether these are all UWC students. In addition, protestors continued to light fires between Basil February and Dos Santos residences and this situation is being carefully monitored.
Please note that some misinformation continues to be spread via social media and we urge you to check the UWC accounts on twitter (#IamUWC / #UWConline) and Facebook (UWC Online) for accurate information.
The situation in our residences has become untenable and the residences are in urgent need of maintenance, repairs, cleaning as well as attention to health and safety compliance issues. We will now be informing all non-final year students in residences, who are not currently writing exams, to vacate residences. Alternative arrangements are being made to accommodate final year students who are writing exams.
We will continue to keep you updated.
Kind regards
Prof Tyrone Pretorius
Rector and Vice-Chancellor
Issued by UWC, 16 November 2015
