EFF STATEMENT AFTER STUDYING THE COURT JUDGEMENT ON CASE AGAINST WITS UNIVERSITY
28 August 2015
After careful study of the judge’s verdict yesterday at the Gauteng Local Division of the High Court, the EFF is pleased with the court victory achieved against the unlawful and draconian suspension of EFF student leaders, who were victims of violence while staging a peaceful sit-in last Tuesday. The following were the findings of the court as per its verdict
1. The court rejected the University's nonsensical argument that the matter was not urgent. The judge said: "What makes this matter urgent is the fact that the students are being excluded from all activities, inclusive of their right to participate in educational activities separate from their participation as members of EFF. This in my view is a serious violation of a right enshrined in the Bill of Rights, namely the right to education”.
2. The judge stated that since the SRC elections were now in their second day, “the EFF candidates may be prejudiced if they enter the race for election at this late stage under the prevailing circumstances”. We agree that the circumstances deliberately created by Habib were clearly intended to and had the desired effect of excluding the EFF from contesting the elections. We have no doubt that the EFF would have won the elections, as we did at the University of Limpopo and Vaal University of Technology, to mention a few.
3. The judge set aside Habib’s decision to suspend the concerned members of the EFF Students Command and ordered the University “to allow them access to their allocated University residences, including lecture rooms, library, sport facilities, as well as laboratory and dining halls”.