Pretoria - The Commission of Inquiry into Higher Education and Training (Fees Commission) says it is unfortunate that public hearings were once again interrupted.
A group of activists and students interrupted hearings in Cape Town on Tuesday. This was the third time hearings were interrupted in the Cape Town leg of the public hearings into university fees.
Commission spokesperson Musa Ndwandwe said the commission is neither mandated nor does it have authority to intervene in disciplinary matters between students and management of universities.
“We have also observed that the aggrieved group does not represent the majority of the student community. Students, however, remain key stakeholders in the process and the commission will continue to engage them on matters relevant to the inquiry,” said Ndwandwe.
Given the turn of events, Ndwandwe said the remainder of the programme of the Cape Town leg of the public hearings has been cancelled.
He said the commission will further review the way in which public hearings are conducted to ensure the safety of witnesses, commission members and staff.
Ndwandwe said the aggrieved group uses the hearings to confront university principals and management. However, the commission does not have a mandate to address their grievances. He said the aggrieved students have taken a view that disrupting the commission’s hearings will address their grievances.
“Clearly we will have to review the way we conduct our public hearings so that we ensure the safety of our witnesses as well as the commissioners,” Ndwandwe said. - SAnews.gov.za
