Striking students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and student leader Lucky Nkalanga – accused of being the ringleader in the recent violent protests – have been barred from all campuses.
However, while the university hoped this would help restore peace, its negotiations with student bodies continued at the weekend, and it remains unclear what will happen this week. Nkalanga was arrested last week on charges of assault and vehicle theft.
He was granted bail but, while he was still in custody, the UKZN management, fearing more violence, went to the Durban High Court to make an urgent application for an interim interdict stopping him from accessing its campuses.
It was the third court application in as many days as the management attempted to quell protests over fees and accommodation.
On Tuesday last week, the university obtained an interdict against Nkalanga, president of the students’ representative council, at its Westville campus, other student representative bodies and striking students.
It also obtained an order compelling the police to assist in serving the interdict and to take action against violent protesters. In affidavits which came before Judge Graham Lopes on Friday, registrar Jane Meyerowitz claimed that Nkalanga was not a registered student at the university.
“He was accepted as an honours student at the School of Life Sciences.
“Lectures commenced on February 1 this year and he has not attended one of them. He has not registered and even if he should now attempt to (do so), he will not be accepted,” she said.
“Apart from keeping him off campus because he is not registered, keeping him off will hopefully assist in returning order and ensuring the resumption of lectures.”
At the height of the violence, students were pulled off buses, lectures were disrupted, students were tear-gassed and stones and bricks were thrown at police called to disperse the protesters.
A meeting was held between student representatives and the management at which it was agreed that there would be no further protest action while student grievances were investigated.
But Nkalanga then allegedly reneged on this. Meyerowitz said the next morning he and five others were seen placing boulders and concrete bins on the road, blocking access to buses carrying students.
Assaulted
Lectures were disrupted again and lecturer Michael Watkeys was assaulted. Nkalanga was arrested on Tuesday last week and appeared in the Pinetown Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, charged with assaulting Watkeys.
A further charge of vehicle theft is unrelated to the protests and dates back to January when, it is alleged, he took a university vehicle without authority. The car was involved in an accident and written off.
According to media reports, Nkalanga told the magistrate that he was a student and did not have money for registration. He was also unable to pay his bail of R500.
He would appear in court again on March 9. Nkalanga has until Wednesday to file papers in the high court, opposing the various interdicts against him. If he does, the university will ask that he pays its legal costs.
