Hang in there, University of the Free State vice chancellor Jonathan Jansen has advised Rhodes University rector Sizwe Mabizela.

“All of us (vice chancellors) have struggled. One feels reluctant to tell a colleague what he has to do. Sizwe and I are very good friends. We talk at points in time. Hang in there. You can’t give tactical advice because the situation on the ground, people don’t understand because it’s often very fluid and very dangerous,” Jansen told News24.

He was speaking on the sidelines of a dinner held on Thursday night to raise money to help needy students. He said the institution was hoping to raise R100 million.

Jansen said he would announce plans for his future in the next few weeks.

While he had had a difficult time since student protests against fee increases started in October last year, he said he would not have had it any other way.

“I’ve been at UFS for over six years. It’s been the best experience I have ever had. You don’t look at protests that happened in February. You look at the seven years that have been good,” he said.

Rhodes University students this week started protesting over the university’s sexual harassment policy and what they said was its culture of rape, after a list of 11 suspected rapists was released online.

Five students were arrested and released during the protest.