Unregistered Wits Students Take Protest to ANC Headquarters Over Historic Debt Crisis

A group of unregistered students from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) protested in Johannesburg on Monday, demanding that all students with historic debt be allowed to register for the 2025 academic year.

The demonstrators held a picket outside the ANC’s Luthuli House, appealing for the intervention of the party’s National Working Committee. Their goal: pressure government and university leadership to resolve what they describe as ongoing financial exclusion at the institution.

Hunger strike controversy reignites tension

Earlier this year, in February, a group of unregistered Wits students claimed they had embarked on a 12-day hunger strike. They demanded the university lift registration blocks for indebted students.

Wits University has strongly denied the existence of any such hunger strike. University spokesperson Sharona Patel dismissed the protest as being led by two individuals in their 30s, both with previous degrees from the university, who she said were misrepresenting the situation.

“There is no group of unregistered students. It’s just these two people. One is 39, the other in his 30s. They are calling themselves hunger strikers and want the university to register them for a third degree,” said Patel. “They’ve been sitting in an office writing press releases and threatening naked protests.”

Protesters seek ANC and government action

Siviwe Mafuna, leader of the so-called Wits Hunger Strikers, responded in a statement, saying the university leadership, including Vice Chancellor Zeblon Vilakazi, had refused to meet them. Mafuna said the protest moved to Luthuli House to highlight the unresolved crisis of student exclusion.

“Thousands of students, including those who qualify for financial aid, are being turned away. The university is misleading the public when it says it supports students,” Mafuna claimed.

He further argued that despite the decade since the #FeesMustFall movement, many students are still denied access to education and are treated as disposable due to their financial background.

“Black lives don’t matter at Wits”

Mafuna accused Wits of perpetuating exclusionary practices, comparing its policies to those of apartheid.

“Black lives don’t matter at Wits. Poor, black students are discarded and expected to fade into rural obscurity. Instead, we’re choosing to die fighting in front of those who maintain this system,” he said.

The protesting students have called on President Cyril Ramaphosa and his administration to intervene and ensure that all unregistered students are granted access to higher education regardless of historic debt.

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Sourced:Jacaranda FM

Picture: Wits University