Evicted students charged for crimes during protest
Alleged perpetrators face charges of arson, public violence and damage to property
NINE Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) students were evicted from South Point residence in Bellville on Sunday night as their lease agreement was terminated and an urgent high court interdict was apparently secured against them yesterday.
Ndumiso Davidson, the chief executive of South Point, a privately owned residence accommodating students from CPUT, said the students were charged with serious criminal acts including arson, public violence and malicious intent to damage property.
Davidson said in addition to their resolution to add charges of assault, hostage-taking and grievous bodily harm, the students were required to leave the premises on Sunday.
“The protest action at The Orchard (residence) first commenced on August 25, mostly around grievances against CPUT and government regulations around Covid-19 issues over which South Point has limited control, or even no control,” he said.
He said students requested the relaxation of health protocols, which was not in keeping with the greater interests of the residential complex.
SA Union of Students spokesperson Thabo Shingange said he was woken up by phone calls from 2am yesterday, because South Point, “terrorised and evicted students using bouncers in the middle of the night”.
Shingange said if South Point could not accommodate students, then “we have no business accommodating them in our universities – simple as that”.
CPUT spokesperson Lauren Kansley said the institution was aware of the evictions of students from one of their privately leased residences.
“The eviction must be seen in context. These students are accused of a range of criminal activities including malicious damage to property, public violence, arson and interfering with the operations of the residence,” Kansley said.
She said some of the accusations included holding staff members hostage, endangering the lives of the building manager and his family, and stoning vehicles.
She said criminality of that sort could not be condoned and “we respect the service provider’s right to take legal action”.
“We must also protect the rights of the majority of students and staff to live, work and study in peace without the fear of being intimidated by a minority group,” said Kansley.
Davidson said South Point condemned the destructive and violent behaviour driven by 30 to 40 students at The Orchard, causing more than R1million in damage to property while negatively impacting on the safe and peaceful living environment of hundreds of other university student residents, as well as staff and their families who live in the residence.
Sibabalo Mdingi, an SA Students Congress (Sasco) member at CPUT, said those students were enacting protests peacefully for their rights but the reactionary measures taken by the institution led the students to invoke anarchy in a do-or-die manner.
Six other students were also arrested on September 1 in relation to the same criminal acts. Davidson said they were awaiting bail hearings.