Students, staff and alumni concerned by the continued shut down of the University of Cape Town (UCT) are putting the institution's executive under pressure to open.

Nearly all face-to-face teaching at the university has stopped. This afternoon, the libraries were closed and the shuttle service suspended following violent incidents on campus.

A petition calling for the university to open, signed by over 1,300 members of the university including over 500 staff, was sent to Vice-Chancellor Max Price.

Associate Professor Shamil Jeppe, one of the signatories, told GroundUp: "The university is a place of learning, teaching and research. Protests can [take place]. But these activities must continue else we throw the whole institution and our intellectual project into serious jeopardy."

Another signatory, Professor Imraan Coovadia, told GroundUp: "We have avideo [from today] of a man being beaten and his life being endangered. They [members of UCT's executive] are letting ordinary men and women take the brunt of the assault. Students and professors are being threatened. They cannot manage the situation. There is no doubt that this executive cannot pursue the policies necessary to restore order at the university."

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