This after some students were academically deregistered by the institution after it was allegedly believed that they were spear-heading the rerun of the #FeesMustFall protest campaign last month.

The UFS has academically excluded four students who were alleged to be main instigators of the student protest on its main campus.

It is alleged a peaceful protest was held on campus last month when the disgruntled students handed over a memorandum to UFS rector, Jonathan Jansen.

Some students were not happy with Jansen's response and stated that he didn't meet their expectations. Other students felt the need to protest on 15 January, but the SRC opposed it.

"We wanted to protest against the historical debt that many students face as most don't have funds to register. We used to protest for free education at the beginning of each year, for the 'right to learn campaign', and we thought we should intensify it this year.

The reason to participate in these protests are real; it's not because we are bored. Some students were told that they would be registered provisionally, which is a temporary relief as they will be kicked out in April if they haven't settled their debt.

Most of Jansen's response was a rehearsed statement from last year's protest and wasn't adequate. He really didn't take us seriously," says Cobe Lee, a former UFS student.

Lee, originally from Klerksdorp in North West Province, was studying LLB at UFS. The 28-year-old says another planned protest was set out for 18 January, but it failed because there was a low turnout. Lee explains that most senior students were not back from the holidays.



He was then called by some SRC members who cautioned him to be careful as he had been identified as the ringleader and questions about him had been asked by senior managers.

On 20 January, Lee was woken up by a friend, alerting him that there was a half-naked picture of him posted at the university's main gate. He believes the picture he posted on his Facebook account last year was extracted by UFS.

The message on the picture read: "Please stop the guy at the gate and get full details of him and report to the officer or sergeant on duty."

Lee laid a complaint against the UFS at the Human Rights Commission regarding the half-naked picture. The commission's provincial manager, Buang Jones, confirmed that they had received a complaint and were still assessing it to determine whether any of the student's human rights had been violated.

The following day, Lee received a phone call from the institution's Registrar for Systems and Administration, Karen Lazenby, to fetch a letter from her office. According to Lee, the letter informed him that he was excluded from the faculty of law. "It was a very funny letter. It stated that I'm excluded from the university itself."

On 22 January, three more students, Thembokuhle Mhlebi, Bongani Mazula and Sizwe (Alhajra) Zingitwa, were also called by Lazenby and were given letters of deregistration. The three were reported to have been closely aligned to Lee. However, Mhlebi (from Umtata in the Eastern Cape) was shocked because she only attended classes up to June last year.

In a twist of events, on Monday this week, the other student, Mazula, met with Jansen who personally gave Mazula a letter affirming that he was reinstated and would be able to register. The 26-year-old from Odendaalsrus has a rare case because before being deregistered, he had already been registered by UFS on 13 January. "They told me that I didn't meet the academic expectations and now say they have made a mistake," he says.

Meanwhile, on 25 January, Lee woke up to find a copy of an email conversation slipped under his bedroom door. The email entailed conversations between Jansen and other UFS senior managers, including Lazenby.

According to Lee, the copy was dated 20 January and part of what he received could be a discussion preceded by other emails. The copies made it evident to the four students that there is conspiracy and they have been treated unfairly.

"The UFS is very inconsistent on how it operates. Rectors should be the last resort when you deregister a student. They didn't follow normal procedures.



Why should a student be informed of all of this during the registration phase and not while they are at home?


The process of deregistration was not followed properly as we were called by the registrar," says the fourth deregistered student, 24-year-old Zingitwa from Virginia.

The students are currently in the process of suing the UFS.

Free State police spokesperson, Chaka Marope, says a case of crimen injuria has been opened by Lee against Jansen and police are still investigating.

According to UFS spokesperson Lacea Loader, efforts are made to assist academically deserving students who do not have the financial means to study. “Senior students are allowed to register provisionally and it allows them more time to secure funding and for the university to raise additional funds to assist them.

In 2015, 2 709 students registered provisionally, only 222 of these students were deregistered.”



She says at the beginning of every year the Registrar and the academic administration make final decisions about students who are excluded from continued registration based on the rules and regulations of the
UFS governing academic progression.

“Every appeal is managed on its merits, and some students have been successful in their
appeals.”

The university denies that students have been discussed by the rector and other senior managers of the university to be ‘silenced’ from their political activities on campus or blocked from entering the
campus.

“What is disallowed are violent or intimidating protest actions that threaten staff or students, or property of the university. Members of the university community who wish to protest must follow the necessary procedure as stated in the Gatherings Act, as well as the university’s applicable regulations,” she says.








According to Loader, the SRC handed a memorandum to the senior leadership on 14 January 2016, to which a response was given on 15 January 2016 and there was no protest. When asked if security guards were instructed not to allow deregistered students, she explains if students are excluded on academic grounds they’re not entitled to participate in academic activities.

“It is the responsibility of campus security to ensure compliance with these decisions. Any person who is not a student or employee of the university needs permission to enter the campus.”

Refilwe Gaeswe/OFM News