Early on Friday, the management of the University of Witwatersrand said it had obtained an interim interdict from the South Gauteng high court to prevent disruptions on its campuses.Â
According to the statement, the interdict will allow the university management to call police to control entry into the university campuses, prevent harassment of staff and students and quell the disruption of lectures. High Court Judge Bashier Vally granted the interdict on condition that freedom of expression at the university is not impeded.
#FeesMustFall Wits says the interdict DOES NOT mean people can’t protest. They must just do so while allowing others to study in peace.
— Alex Eliseev (@alexeliseev) October 30, 2015
The interdict comes as a group of students and staff at Wits continue to protest against the university’s outsourcing of labour.
While lectures have resumed and the university appears to be operating with relative ease and little disruption, students and staff who have identified themselves as “Fees Must Fall”  met with Vice Chancellor Adam Habib in “Solomon Mahlangu House” on Wednesday afternoon to discuss their grievances.
Workers’ have a memorandum of nine points minimum demands. Points as follows:
— The Daily VOX (@thedailyvox) October 29, 2015
1) insourcing #EndOutsourcing — The Daily VOX (@thedailyvox) October 29, 2015
2) 2) all children of workers admitted to Wits should study for free #EndOutsourcing
— The Daily VOX (@thedailyvox) October 29, 2015
3) all MJL workers to be immediately reinstated #EndOutsourcing — The Daily VOX (@thedailyvox) October 29, 2015
4) no charges should be instituted against those who participated in the protests #EndOutsourcing
— The Daily VOX (@thedailyvox) October 29, 2015
5) there shouldn’t be an upfront payment fee #EndOutsourcing — The Daily VOX (@thedailyvox) October 29, 2015
6) marks withheld because of outstanding fees should be released #EndOutsourcing
— The Daily VOX (@thedailyvox) October 29, 2015
7) supp exam fee of R1500 must be scrapped #EndOutsourcing — The Daily VOX (@thedailyvox) October 29, 2015
8) a new academic calendar should be negotiated from 2 Nov #EndOutsourcing
— The Daily VOX (@thedailyvox) October 29, 2015
9) University Assembly must be called #EndOutsourcing — The Daily VOX (@thedailyvox) October 29, 2015
Halfway through the meeting, large crowds of singing workers from Education Campus entered the concourse, and in the chaos of the growing crowd, a fight broke out. EFF Wits chair Vuyani Pambo immediately took platform and urged the crowd to be calm, so that the rest of the proceedings could occur in peace.
Habib agreed that he would enter into negotiations on some of the responses to the points the group put forward, and said the university was already discussing the possibility of insourcing. Another meeting has been scheduled for 12pm on Sunday, 1 November.
A revised exam timetable is expected to be released later today.
