Students at Walter Sisulu University’s main campus in Mthatha, Eastern Cape, are fuming and have staged a protest following the death of a student and the injury of three others, allegedly at the hands of a residence manager.
According to reports, the manager opened fire on Tuesday morning after students allegedly set a vehicle alight near a student residence.
Eastern Cape police spokesperson Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana confirmed the incident occurred on the morning of Tuesday, April 15, at the Mthatha campus.
She said students had mobilised the previous evening, Monday, April 14, to protest the poor condition of their residence.
“At about 7am on Tuesday morning, the students went to confront the residence manager, who lives on campus with his family, about the poor state of their residence,” said Gantana.
It is alleged the residence manager then shot two male students - one died at the scene, and the other was taken to hospital for medical care.
“It is further reported that the students mobilised again, and during the unrest, the residence manager’s vehicle was set alight, and his wife was struck on the head with a hard object,” Gantana said.
The manager and his family were rescued by Mthatha Public Order Policing, she added.
Police are currently positioned outside the university grounds to manage student protests, with some demonstrators reportedly threatening to block the N2 highway.
No arrests have been made.
“The students are preventing police from entering the crime scene or obtaining more information from witnesses,” Gantana said.
Meanwhile, protests have intensified on campus, with students demanding the immediate removal of the residence manager.
Speaking to broadcaster Newzroom Afrika, a female student, whose identity was withheld, said students had been raising concerns about the state of their residences for some time, but their complaints were ignored.
She added that students now want the manager investigated and dismissed.
“Who pulled the trigger? We want to know that person and have them removed immediately,” she said.
The student also alleged that the manager had allowed male students into women’s residences.
“We are having so many issues here as students, and our demands are not being heard,” she added.
simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za
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