University committed to peaceful negotiations to find solutions
- Wits University
Wits stays committed to solving issues, which can only be resolved at national level.
STATEMENT FROM WITS UNIVERSITY
The Executive Management Team of Wits University was invited to attend a meeting of peace hosted by the Academic Staff Association of Wits University, church leaders and others at the Holy Trinity Church today.
We were asked to attend the meeting and through our presence to indicate our support for peaceful resolution and constructive negotiation. We have always said that we are open to engaging with students. We have repeatedly been accused of not wanting to meet students. We have reached out on several occasions and today is an example of where we were once again willing to engage, to no avail. We have met with several students and student leaders directly and we will continue to do so in the hope of finding a peaceful, negotiated settlement.
“We are disappointed that people felt that we should exit the peace meeting even after we had been invited to attend it,” says Professor Adam Habib, Wits Vice-Chancellor and Principal. “We remain committed to working with students and student leaders in trying to find solutions to these issues, many of which can only be resolved at the national level. We recognise that passions are inflamed and that we should not take the reactions of some student leaders personally.”
We remain committed to completing the 2016 academic year while at the same time trying to address issues related to the funding and transformation of the higher education sector. We will continue to protect the University community to ensure that staff, students and our infrastructure are safe and that the academic programme continues.
SENIOR EXECUTIVE TEAM
19 OCTOBER 2016 (17:00)