Minister welcomes end to Medunsa strike

Friday, September 5, 2014

Pretoria – Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande has welcomed the agreement between Medunsa students and university management which ended a two-week student strike.

The strike started last month at the University of Limpopo, Medical University of South Africa (Medunsa) at the Ga-Rankuwa campus. 

Students boycotted lectures for about two weeks demanding the removal of certain lecturers alleged to be failing students.

Minister Nizmande noted that the department and the portfolio committee on Higher Education equally played a part in resolving the impasse.

The Minister also called on students especially Student Representative Councils all over the country to pursue and prioritise negotiations with management.

“Where this approach reaches a dead end, the department will always weigh in. The option of premature strikes, disruptions of academic lives is as detrimental to the institutional academic calendar as it is to students themselves.

“We are equally engaging institutions like Vaal University of Technology and University of KwaZulu-Natal, where some riots have sprung up. We call for students to be responsible as we encourage real engagement to resolve vexing issues that might be a causal effect of abnormalities,” Minister Nzimande said. – SAnews.gov.za