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28/09/2016

The third Provincial Conference on Sport at NMMU's George campus has been postponed due to ongoing student protests.
NMMU management said they had taken cognisance of the current environment in the university sector and had decided to postpone the conference to a later date in the year.
 
Madibaz Director of Sport Yoliswa Lumka said it was a pity the event had to be postponed.
 
"However, we cannot continue with classes suspended at our various campuses as we were looking forward to our students engaging with other stakeholders in this space," she said.
 
The higher education sector has been facing protest action since Minister of Higher Education and Training Blade Nzimande's announcement in respect of fees for 2017 last week.
 
NMMU management has halted operations and is engaging with the students to seek a solution and to address student concerns.
 
Escalating protests, tensions and violence within the sector have seen many universities closed for more than a week.
 
"At Madibaz Sport our focus is on holistically developing our talented student athletes," said Lumka, "but we need the support of corporate and other stakeholders such as the local municipality to assist us in achieving our objectives."
 
She said the call for free education would put further strain on the university's operational budget.
 
The conference is organised by NMMU, the Western Cape Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport, George Municipality and the Eden Sport Council and is set to discuss the development of sport in the Western Province and in the country.
 
Further communication will follow regarding the rescheduled date of the Sport Conference.

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