NOTICE TO ALL STUDENTS AND STAFF OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FORT HARE

Since the 12th September 2016 students in the Alice Campus have not been able to attend lectures and have not been participating in any meaningful academic activities. Similarly, from the 20th September the same has obtained in the East London Campus. The University Management, who have been engaging the students throughout this period, are also aware that a certain group of students, who project themselves as leaders of each and every student of the University and have arrogated to themselves the right to dictate to law abiding students and to the University’s employees whether or not to carry on with their studies or perform their duties, have taken it upon themselves to make a normal academic environment impossible and have chased away employees of the University from their work stations, especially in East London, rendering them unable to continue with their normal administrative , teaching and researching responsibilities. The University’s Management is also aware of the continuing calls by this coterie of students to render a conducive academic and administrative environment impossible on the University’s campuses. We would like the law abiding students and the University’s staff to rest assured that Management, after unsuccessfully engaging students on their demands, is currently taking all lawful steps to effectively deal with the identifiable elements of this coterie through the available legal processes.
Management will continue to implement those aspects of the students’ demands that are reasonable and within their means to implement.

The University Management urges all law abiding students of the University who wish to continue with their studies to report to their lecture halls by 08h00 am on the 28th  September 2016. We call upon the members of the staff to do the same. If the students do not report to classes on the appointed times the University Management will have no alternative but to close the University and call upon all students to vacate the University residences and go back to their parents, guardians and/or financial sponsors and to return with them on a date that will be communicated to them so that the Management can discuss the future of our students in 2016 with the parents, guardians and sponsors as the current student representatives have vowed to ensure that no academic studies will take place until their demands, even the unreasonable ones, have been met. The future of our diligent students and the interests of their parents, guardians and sponsors can no longer be allowed to be ignored and trampled upon by a few individuals with scant regard for the rights of others.  Yours sincerely Mvuyo Tom (Dr) Vice Chancellor