Johannesburg – Unpreparedness and poor online student recruitment processes across KwaZulu- Natal campuses have created a nightmare, with hundreds of students likely to be locked out of the system for the 2021 academic year.
On Tuesday, thousands of prospective students who had fl ocked to the Durban University of Technology for registration were turned back.
Chaos erupted when police instructed about 5 000 students sandwiched in one venue, many without masks or physical distancing, to vacate the campus.
Some, led by the EFF Student Command, refused to obey police orders, leading to clashes.
Scores of students were injured during the running batt les with the police. Sandiso Buthelezi, the EFF Student Command secretary at DUT, blamed the university management for the clashes.
He told Sunday World: “The university made a call that new students must come on campus because their online registration process had collapsed.
“Many first-year students have been blocked by the system and some are registering for the wrong courses and cannot select modules. Students had to travel from far-flung rural areas and some slept outside the campus because they wanted to be first in the queue.
“Instead, the university management unleashed the most brutal form of violence on the desperate students,” he added, noting that some of the protesting students were arrested and charged with public violence.
However, the university has refuted the claims that it had invited prospective students to turn up in order to be assisted with registration, blaming the chaos on “unauthorised” social media posts.
The university said in a statement: “Many potential applicants arrived at our gates expecting to be registered. These persons were not invited by the university to register, nor given any indication that they were to arrive at the university.
“All along, the university has been using a strict Covid-19 compliant system where those struggling with our online registration would report their experiences via the telephone and, where necessary, be invited and granted permits.”
The university conceded that it was experiencing a slow pace of registration for new first-year students owing to challenges in the online registration system.
The technical glitches have also led to the delay in the commencement of the academic programme.
Zama Mathenjwa, the campus leader of the SA Student Congress, said there was no capacity in the university call centre system, with calls for enquires often going unanswered.
“If you are lucky to get through, those employed are unable to give prospective students proper answers on their queries,” said Mathenjwa.
The South African Union of Students, which represents SRC members at all universities, called for the DUT to account for the violence and administrative errors, saying arrested students should be released without being charged.
Meanwhile, Mangosuthu University of Technology was also forced to suspend campus activities following student unrest.
The University of Zululand on the north coast, which has also been engulfed by protests, dealt with high volumes of students who experienced difficulties registering remotely.
Follow @SundayWorldZA on Twitter and @sundayworldza on Instagram, or like our Facebook Page, Sunday World, by clicking here for the latest breaking news in South Africa. To Subscribe to Sunday World, click here.
Sunday World
