The UFS spokesperson, Lacea Loader, confirms that a group of protesters who have identified themselves as the Concerned Student Movement disrupted administrative and academic activities at the main campus on Tuesday, citing issues surrounding funding, campus access, the online registration process and the academic programme as their reasons. 

The OFM News team was at the campus on Wednesday morning to speak to a few students on the promise of anonymity, to gauge what the challenges on the ground are.

“The problem is registering. NSFAS is not responding to students and people cannot go in and get academic advice. So if you’re outside, you do not know what’s going on inside the campus gates. You might find yourself deregistered, if you don’t fight,” says one student. 

At present, the UFS has moved its entire registration process online.

Despite these concerns, Loader says the protesters on Tuesday handed over a memorandum with a list of demands to the university's management regarding the aforementioned issues and a response was provided to the Concerned Student Movement on Wednesday morning, 10 March.

Whilst the contents of the response are not known to OFM News, the situation on campus has since normalised.

“The executive management is committed to ensuring stability on campus and to the uninterrupted continuation of academic and administrative services and will continue to engage with students to find amicable solutions to matters that are of concern to them. It remains important that the 2021 academic year continues and that it is completed successfully,” Loader says.

The university has dismissed allegations the disgruntled group “stormed the campus buildings” or that the campus has been forced to shut down on Wednesday due to the matter.

OFM News