What happened at Wits?
A man died during violent clashes between the police and protesting Wits University students in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, on Wednesday. The hashtag #WitsProtest topped the trending list on Wednesday as news emerged that a bystander had been shot dead, allegedly by police, during a protest over university fees.
What are Wits students protesting about?
Wits has been at the centre of protests in recent weeks after students took to the streets to fight for free, quality and decolonised education.

Why are there protests at Wits?
Students at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in Johannesburg, South Africa, are protesting over the financial exclusion of students with historic debts. The protests were met with police resistance on Wednesday that resulted in the death of one person.
What happened to Bob Scholes?
Scholes, one of the world’s leading scientists on Climate Change, was a Professor of Systems Ecology, a Director of the Global Change Institute (GCI) and a Distinguished Professor at Wits. He passed away on the evening of Wednesday, 28 April, following a hike in Namibia with friends and colleagues. He was 63 years old.

Why are south african students protesting?
Protests erupted after thousands of students were denied registration for the 2021 academic year because they owed tuition fees from last year. Students from the University of the Witwatersrand protest over tuition fees in Johannesburg, March 10, 2021.
What do you mean by students?
1 : scholar, learner especially : one who attends a school. 2 : one who studies : an attentive and systematic observer a student of politics.
Who is Robert J Scholes?
Scholes is the author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, third, fourth and fifth assessments. He has been on the boards of the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry, the South African National Parks and South African National Space Agency.
Who started the #feesmustfall?
Shaeera Kalla
The movements were started and led by the SRC leader of the University of Witwatersrand of 2015, Shaeera Kalla. On 2 October Kalla attended her last council meeting as SRC president, she is accompanied by Nompendulo as an observer heading towards being the incoming SRC President of 2016.
What causes strikes in South Africa 2021?
The 2021 South African unrest, also known as the Zuma unrest or Zuma riots, was a wave of civil unrest occurred in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces from 9 to 18 July 2021, sparked by the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma for contempt of court.
What did FeesMustFall achieve?
#Feesmustfall was a student-led protest movement that began in mid-October 2015 in South Africa….FeesMustFall.
#FeesMustFall | |
---|---|
Methods | Protest |
Resulted in | No university fee increases in 2016 Over R 800 million in property damage (roughly equivalent to US$59 million) Increased government funding for universities |
Casualties | |
Arrested | 619 |
How did FeesMustFall start?
The #FeesMustFall movement gained momentum just months after students also made headlines for the #RhodesMustFall movement — which aimed to deconstruct institutional racism at South Africa’s universities and began with a demonstration to remove the statue of Cecil John Rhodes, a controversial 19th century imperialist …
What was the biggest strike in South Africa?
The African Mine Workers’ Strike
The African Mine Workers’ Strike was a labour dispute involving mine workers of Witwatersrand in South Africa. It started on 12 August, 1946 and lasted approximately a week. The strike was attacked by police and over the week, at least 1,248 workers were wounded and at least 9 killed.
What are 1st year students called?
In the university the students studying in these years are called as: First Year Students – Juniors or fresher or freshman. Second Year Students- Sophomores. Third Year Students- Seniors.
Why must Rhodes fall?
In Britain, this reignited protests demanding the toppling of Cecil Rhodes’ statue at Oxford University’s Oriel College. The Rhodes Must Fall campaign, first conceived in March 2015, was originally directed against the bronze statue of Rhodes at the University of Cape Town in South Africa.