In August 1993, during what was possibly the most destructive week in its history, the Wits University community was riven by angry and often violent demonstrations by some members of the South African Students’ Congress (Sasco) which led to unprecedented and unfortunate polarisation among students and staff. The Sasco group was demonstrating essentially on three issues. The first was against a court interdict which the University had obtained in June 1993 against Sasco (National), Sasco (Wits) and certain individual members of those organisations prohibiting injury to staff and students; disruption of classes or other academic or administrative activities; occupation of, or impeding lawful access to, University premises; damage to property; and incitement of any person to commit any of these acts.

The other issues were a demand for the dissolution of the Council of the University and the establishment of a Transformation Forum ‘to deal with the structure of a new democratic Council, financial exclusions and the continuing racial bias in admissions …’ A later demand was for the release of the students detained by the police during demonstrations on the campus on 19 August 1993.3

As recently as March 1995 sporadic conflict between a relatively small group of Wits students and workers on the one hand and the university administration on the other, continued to unnerve the campus; and undisciplined vandalism and ‘trashing’ of the campus which were widely condemned, attracted lurid headlines in the newspapers and extensive coverage on radio and television. The issues were now no longer the struggle against the apartheid regime but questions relating to the high expectations of students in the post-apartheid era, such as financial aid, improved access to higher education and democratic and transparent university governance. All these issues were being taken up by students in many tertiary educational institutions throughout the country, but at Wits there was another contentious matter. University members of the National Education Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) were demonstrating for the reinstatement of some of their colleagues who had been dismissed after a disciplinary hearing had found them guilty of holding two members of the administrative staff hostage for nine hours until they were released by the police.