The South African government on Thursday moved to assure the country that the high-profile centenary celebrations at Fort Hare University in the Eastern Cape would continue as planned, this after 10 students were arrested following a night of wanton violence and destruction on campus.
On Wednesday night, protesting students burnt tyres on the streets and the the main gate of Alice Campus, set a tent alight, and looted and vandalised some buildings. The students claimed university management was failing to meet their demands to release grants for meal allowances.
In a statement issued on Thursday, government said the celebrations set for the Alice campus on Friday and which would feature a number of dignitaries, including President Jacob Zuma and his Zimbabwean counterpart, Robert Mugabe, would proceed.
“Security agencies are on the ground at Fort Hare to ensure that the centenary celebrations are held in a safe and secure environment,†government said.
Government said student grievances were being attended to and the University of Fort Hare management had responded to the immediate demands and would attend to outstanding demands requiring longer term intervention in due course.
“Government condemns the violent protests and destruction of property,†the statement added. “In response to yesterday’s unfortunate protest actions, a number of suspects have been arrested. The South African Police Service (SAPS) and the National Prosecuting Authority will continue to update on further arrests and prosecution of the suspects.â€
The tent in which the celebrations were supposed to take place was among the property that was burnt down. The University of Fort Hare on Thursday confirmed that 10 students had been arrested in connection with the violence and wanton destruction at the campus.
Fort Hare spokesperson, Athi Zembe, said: “I cannot really comment about arrests, but we’ve been notified that 10 students were arrested. Nothing has been announced that plans have changed with regard to centenary proceedings, so all will go according to plan.â€
Zembe added: “The issues are being taken care of. The police were deployed to calm the situation last night, and management is about to meet with with student leadership.â€
However, the university Student Representative Council (SRC) on Thursday said its protest over funding issues had been hijacked by “criminal elements†who were trying to disrupt the institution’s centenary celebrations.
SRC president Bulali Rawana, speaking to SABC Morning Live on Thursday, said the student leadership was committed to finding amicable solutions without resorting to violence.
“As student leadership we do not support, in anyway, damage to property as a means to finding solutions to our problems. We reject it in the strongest terms possible. It must never happen, it should have not happened,†Rawana said.
“But we are aware that there are also criminal elements who are hiking the situation that we are having currently in the university.â€
Rawana leads the African National Congress-aligned South African Students Congress (Sasco), which regained control of Fort Hare’s SRC from the Democratic Alliance’s Student Organisation (Daso).
Daso also condemned the violent vandalism of property at the university, saying the violence would not help those students who were facing a legitimate funding crisis.
Daso leader, Yusuf Cassim, in a statement said destruction of property would only make the situation worse, and take even more funds away from the university as they repaired the damage.
“This funding crisis, which has led to tensions flaring up, was a long time coming. (Higher Education) Minister Blade Nzimande must be made to answer for the real mess in which Fort Hare finds itself today,†Cassim said.
Meanwhile, the Economic Freedom Fighters’ Students Command on Thursday rejected accusations that it was behind the violent protests at university campuses around South Africa.
“Following the unfortunate scenes of campus arsons in various institutions of higher learning in South Africa, the EFF Students Command wishes to dismiss with sincere disgust, the purely contrived accusations that it is members of our progressive student organisation who are behind the burning of these buildings.
“These allegations are grossly unfounded and are engineered by the real perpetrators of these ugly crimes.â€
In a statement, the organisation said it “noted with great pain when the Science and Adminstration Buildings of North West University, Mafikeng Campus, were burnt down by faceless agents of mayhem earlier in the year and was the first student organisation to outrightly condemn this.
“We further made written submissions to both University Management and security agencies that this must be investigated in order to prevent it from happening again.
“It follows suit, that it was even more painful to us when in months to follow, we had to hear reports that a Lecture hall at Wits University’s Braamfontein campus, Res Admin Buildings at VUT’s Vanderbiljpark Campus, a Graduations Auditorium at UJ’s Auckland Park Campus and more recently, study facilities at Fort Hare University have all been torched by protesting students.â€
It said the vandalism and arson could be attributed squarely poor protection service mechanisms and inept campus control systems, regressive student practitioner management leading to strong-arm tactics, and the state’s failure to investigate and bring perpetrators to book.
– African News Agency (ANA)
