By: Nosipho Ntombela

Chaos arose as vice chancellor of the University of KwaZulu- Natal (UKZN), attempted closure of students residences.

Dr Albert van Jaarsveld, principal and vice chancellor of UKZN, along with the university’s management took a decision to close down all residences used by students including the ones
off campus.

On the letter written to students, it was stated that the continuing violence, unwarranted arson and unprecedented destruction of property and safety of residences and campus, has led to the
decision made.

All students residing in residences were required to vacate on Thursday the 18 September in the afternoon and return back on Sunday 27 September.

“Unite UKZN students unite” was a title of a letter posted by the Students Representative Council (SRC) in the UKZN Facebook page.

In this letter the SRC stated their reasons of refusal to be disposed.

Among the other reasons, they stated that most students in UKZN are either submitting or writing on the 28th of September.

Students have no access to the internet or academic resources at home.

They have paid to be accommodated by the university for 10 months and the nine days they have been asked to vacate is part of the time they have paid to be accommodated and for
them to fulfil their academic duties.

The other point raised was that some students barely have food in their shelves let alone money to travel back and forth in the middle of the semester.

With these reasons, they refused to leave their rooms.

“We are not inciting any violence and will not vandalize university property.

We simply refuse to leave our rooms and are exercising our right to lawfully and peacefully occupy our residences,” wrote the SRC.

The university management agreed to students not leaving their residences provided that they followed the rules made by the management.