THE consequences of the violent protests sweeping the nation’s institutions of higher learning are dire indeed; particularly if some are unable to complete the 2016 academic programme. Major universities including the University of Cape Town and the University of the Witwatersrand have suspended their academic programmes and hope to resume classes this week. The attempts by protesting students at Wits to interdict the university from holding a poll among all students as to whether classes should resume leads to the question, why they would object to a democratic solution to the standoff. It also raises the question of who the students who are driving the protests for free higher education are. Many news reports have said that those driving the protests and the violence are relatively few in number, a suspicion seemingly supported by the outcome of the well-supported Wits cellphone poll, which showed 77% of students and staff want classes to resume this week. There are also recurring...
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