URGENT CALL FOR MEDIATION AT UWC: 15 November 2015

URGENT CALL FOR MEDIATION AT UWC

As staff committed to a UWC where all are respected and listened to with the aim of being understood, we recognise that the issues currently facing UWC and higher education at large are complex matters. But this week and today the very existence and future of our university is in doubt.

For this reason, we call upon key role players at UWC to participate in a process of mediation and open conversation, preferably one facilitated by neutral external third parties. This must seek to collectively pave a way forward regarding the current impasse at the institution, to carry through on the processes set in motion and agreements reached thus far with the student movement, and to restore the campus to normality. We regard this as a matter of extreme urgency, to be resolved as soon as possible in the best interests of all parties and UWC at large.

Recognizing that the SRC is the democratically elected student body, we nonetheless believe that in this historic moment, we are called upon to open civic engagement on campus to broader participation by all relevant student interest groups. For this reason we advocate for the inclusion of representatives of the #FeesMustFall/FeesWillFall (UWC) movement, as well as the university executive, in the mediation process. Mass student meetings have demonstrated conclusively that the student movement, which emerged nationally in the last month, has substantial support at UWC.

What has been apparent on campus is the multiple manifestations of violence at both the physical level and at deeper structural levels. We strongly condemn the turn to physical violence to property and person by supporters of the student movement on Wednesday last week (11 November). At the same time, the heavy police presence and securitization of campus has contributed to a cycle of violence that ranges from rubber bullet injuries to the sexual harassment of female students.

We acknowledge that these strategies were put in place with the intention of safeguarding students and staff in the volatile situation created by the national student rising. However this kind of securitization, which was apparent from 23rd October escalating to the ‘campus lockdown’ over the weekend of 31 October-1 November, has given rise to conditions of mistrust, resistance, and fear. This was also heightened that weekend and into the following week by the use of a private security company many of whose employees were frightening-looking former soldiers.

Overall, the safety of students and staff alike has been called into question by acts of violence from both sides. Enormous damage has been done, both physical and emotional. We therefore reiterate the importance of a move toward non-violent approaches on all levels. Violence in any form, including that perpetrated by students on campus this week, is not condoned and is unacceptable as a means to solve the challenges we face.

Recognition of the multiple actors, silent and vocal, physical and structural, that underpin the prevalence and persistence of violence in post-apartheid South Africa is urgently necessary. It is important to acknowledge that underpinning the experience of physical violence on our campus are the much more insidious forms of structural violence that play out in so many ways in our students’ lives.

It is abundantly clear that the letter from the chairperson of the UWC council, Mthunzi Mdwaba, published on Monday 9th November, played a central role in reigniting protest action this week. In so doing it helped create the conditions in which violence has reached unprecedented levels.  We request that information be provided on whether or not the chair consulted with other council members before he issued the statement. We hope that the students’ request for an urgent meeting of council will be given due consideration and publicly supported by the university executive.

 

Finally, we request that executive management take urgent steps to remedy the extremely serious situation that currently obtains in student residences. Students are feeling highly exposed, vulnerable and under siege. These appalling conditions have contributed greatly to tensions on campus.

We call for the urgent opening of channels of communication between all stakeholders on campus, that are ongoing and sustainable, and that have at their centre a future non-violent approach.

We ask for all stakeholders at UWC to sign this statement as soon as possible, and to distribute it to other staff members.

We ask for all stakeholders at UWC to support this statement by sending  a message of support ( including your name and your department / position) to uwc.staff.2015@gmail.com

Signed:

First name	Last Name	Department/Position	Title
Gordon	Adams	Department of Accounting	Mr.
Megan	Adams	Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS)	Ms.
Fiona	Anciano	Department of Political Studies	Dr.
Ursula	Arends	Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS)	Ms.
Felix	Banda	Department of Linguistics	Professor
Simon	Beck	Department of Religion and Theology, Philosophy Division	Professor
Heike	Becker	Department of Anthropology and Sociology	Professor
Shirley	Brooks	Department of Geography, Environmental Studies and Tourism	Associate Professor
Lindsay	Clowes	Department of Women's and Gender Studies	Associate Professor
Ernst	Conradie	Department of Religion and Theology	Professor
Ina	Conradie	Institute for Social Development	Dr.
Diane	Cooper	School of Public Health	Professor
Ben	Cousins	Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS)	Professor and SARChI Chair
Courtney	Davids	Department of English	Dr.
Peter	Delobelle	School of Public Health	Dr.
Uma	Dhupelia-Mesthrie	Department of History	Professor and Deputy Dean, Arts Faculty
Jackie	Dornbrack	Department of Language Education	Dr.
Andries	du Toit	Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) (Director)	Professor
Marijke	du Toit	Teaching and Learning, Faculty of Arts	Dr.
Alex	Dubb	Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies	Mr.
Charlin	Dyers	Department of Linguistics	Professor
Hans	Engdahl	Department of Religion and Theology	Extraordinary Professor
Jean-Baka	Entfellner	SANBI (UWC) and Department of Computer Science	Dr.
Roger	Field	Department of English	Dr.
David	Fisher	Department of Medical Bioscience	Professor and Deputy Dean, Science Faculty
Miki	Flockemann	Department of English	Extraordinary Professor
Jung Ran	Forte	Department of Anthropology and Sociology	Dr.
Alison	Fullard	Library Services (Deputy Director)	Ms.
Diana	Gibson	Department of Anthropology and Sociology	Professor
Heidi	Grunebaum	Centre for Humanities Research (CHR)	Dr.
Ruth	Hall	Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS)	Associate Professor
Mary	Hames	Gender Equity Unit	Ms.
Patricia	Hayes	Department of History	Professor and SARChI Chair
Bradley	Hazel	School of Public Health	Dr.
Carla	Henry	Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies	Ms.
Kate	Highman	Department of English	Dr.
Philip	Hirschsohn	School of Business and Finance	Professor
Mark	Hoskins	Department of Political Studies	Mr.
Donna	Hornby	Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS)	Dr.
Moenieba	Isaacs	Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS)	Associate Professor
Paolo	Israel	Department of History	Dr.
Catherine	Kell	Department of Linguistics	Associate Professor
Gillian	Kerchhoff	Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS)	Ms.
Lucia	Knight	School of Public Health	Dr.
Richard	Knight	Department of Biodiversity and Conservation Biology	Dr.
Elize	Koch	Department of Psychology	Extraordinary Professor
Peter	Kohler	Department of English	Mr.
Antjie	Krog	Faculty of Arts	Extraordinary Professor
Martin	Legassick	Department of History	Professor Emeritus
Uta	Lehmann	School of Public Health	Professor
Desiree	Lewis	Department of Women's and Gender Studies	Associate Professor
Suraya	Mahomed	School of Public Health	Ms.
Delia	Marshall	Department of Physics	Professor
Verona	Mathews	School of Public Health	Ms.
Namhla	Matshanda	Department of Political Studies	Dr.
Glenton	Matthyse	Gender Equity Unit	Mr.
Julian	May	Institute for Social Development (ISD) (Director)	Professor
Riedwaan	Moosage	Department of History	Mr.
Fairaz	Mullagee	Social Law Project	Ms.
Reda	Najaar	Administrator, UWC residences	Ms.
Sisa	Ngabaza	Department of Women's and Gender Studies	Dr.
David	Neves	Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS)	Mr.
Meshach	Ogunniyi	School of Science & Mathematics Education	Professor Emeritus
Marshall	Ongansie	Department of Mathematics and Applied Mathematics	Mr.
Helena	Perez Nino	Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS)	Dr.
Suren	Pillay	Centre for Humanities Research (CHR)	Associate Professor
Laurence	Piper	Department of Politics	Professor
Peter	Pluddeman	Department of Language Education	Dr.
Joelien	Pretorius	Department of Political Studies	Dr.
Rebecca	Pointer	Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS)	Ms.
Efua	Prah	Department of Anthropology and Sociology	Dr.
Leon	Pretorius	School of Government	Dr.
Margaret	Probyn	Department of Foreign Languages	Ms.
Thandi	Puoane	School of Public Health	Ms.
Alan	Ralphs	Division for Lifelong Learning	Mr.
Ciraj	Rassool	Department of History	Professor
Gavin	Reagon	School of Public Health	Dr.
Edna	Rich	Child and Family Studies Unit, Department of Social Work	Ms.
Nicky	Rousseau	Department of History	Ms.
David	Sanders	School of Public Health	Professor Emeritus
Nikki	Schaay	School of Public Health	Senior Researcher
Helen	Schneider	School of Public Health (Head of School)	Professor
Vera	Scott	School of Public Health	Dr.
Nonhlanhla	Shandu-Omukunyi	Department of Language Education	Ms.
Tamara	Shefer	Department of Women's and Gender Studies	Professor
Sharyn	Spicer	Department of Anthropology and Sociology	Dr.
Ronald	Springfield	School of Business and Finance	Mr.
Christopher	Stroud	Centre for Multilingualism and Diversities Research (CMDR) (Acting Director)	Professor
Trish	Struthers	School of Public Health	Extraordinary Associate Professor
Emmanuel	Sulle	Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS)	Mr.
Barbara	Tapela	Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS)	Dr.
Lungiswa	Tsolekile	School of Public Health	Mr.
Peter	van Heusden	SANBI (UWC)	Mr.
Jacolien	Volschenk	Department of English	Ms.
Shirley	Walters	Institute for Post-School Studies (IPSS)	Professor Emerita
Tersia	Warries	Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS)	Ms.
Samantha	Waterhouse	Women and Democracy Initiative, Dullah Omar Institute	Ms.
Michael	Wessels	Department of English	Associate Professor
Hilda	Wilson	International Relations Office	Ms.
Leslie	Witz	Department of History	Professor
Wendy	Woodward	Department of English	Professor Emerita
Christina	Zarowsky	School of Public Health	Extraordinary Professor