Due to last week’s violent student protests, human rights organisation Amnesty International South Africa issued a statement on Sunday calling on security forces and university administrators to use force against protesting students only in extreme circumstances, and then only with the “absolute minimum necessary to prevent injury or death.”
Many Wits students are protesting historic debts that prevent them from registering, the R45 000 residence cap under the National Student Financial Aid Scheme and eligibility requirements for Wits’ Hardship Fund, which assists financially disadvantaged students.
The Wits Student Representative Council said the protest would continue this week.