Buses torched at CPUT during overnight protest
Two shuttles burnt and administration building stoned in ‘demoralising’ incident
TWO bus shuttles were set alight and the administration building was stoned during overnight protests at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology in Bellville.
CPUT spokesperson Lauren Kansley said: “This is demoralising for the dedicated staff who have persevered through a traumatising crisis period since 2015.
“The start of the 2019 academic year has lived up to expectations for the majority of our nearly 36 000 students.
“This included a vibrant orientation programme, an unprecedented number of registrations and the resumption of classes.”
Kansley said the positive start had, however, been dealt a blow after the institution was the victim of arson and sabotage attacks.
She said the well-being of 40 000 staff and students would not be held to ransom by a minority pursuing a selfish agenda.
“Attempting to shut down campuses, disrupt lectures and damage property will never be the answer to effective engagement.
“We ask for student and staff support as we fend off these attempts to destabilise our institution.”
The torching came a day after students at the campus protested about lack of accommodation at the institution. Some built shacks to highlight their demand.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, 21 students were arrested for public violence after clashing with police at CPUT’s nursing college in Athlone.
Kansley said these were now criminal matters and that these individuals were risking their academic future because a record might shadow them long after they had parted ways with CPUT.
She said SAPS was investigating the overnight incidents, and arrests were certain to follow.
The CPUT student representative council chairperson at the Athlone campus, Thobile Tshefu, said all that the students needed were safer residences.
He listed a number of break-ins at residences and mentioned the death on campus last year of a student, Sinovuyo Yhusi.
Tshefu said the students’ demands were not new, but the university management “choose to neglect them or are taking time to act upon them”.
On the other hand, the University of Cape Town executives also received a list of demands from its student representatives yesterday.
UCT spokesperson Elijah Moholola said the university executive recognised the importance of issues that had been raised by the SRC.
They included academic exclusions, deferred exams, financial exclusions, payment of student allowances, requests for “grace period” applications, funding for “missing middle” students and raising challenges faced by Zimbabwean students.
Moholola said the executive remained deeply committed to resolving issues facing the student body and was working closely with the SRC and organised university student leadership structures to try to find solutions to the issues.