Claims of gun-wielding students closes campus

University takes steps after riots lead to fears for safety

THE Walter Sisulu University (WSU) has ordered all students at the Nelson Mandela Drive facility in Mthatha to vacate the campus. Students took to the streets on Monday to raise a number of grievances.

However, the situation escalated when they clashed with security guards deployed by the university.

Stones were thrown and rubber bullets fired, with some students sustaining minor injuries.

WSU spokeswoman Yonela Tukwayo said there had been reports of students carrying guns on campus, which prompted the call to shut the campus until further notice.

She said the university had a responsibility to ensure the safety of staff and students on its premises.

“We have been informed that students are armed with guns,” Tukwayo said.

“We cannot risk them getting hurt so we have released our staff and our students for their safety. The students also burnt down the guard house.”

The university said the decision to reopen the campus would be taken when the situation was conducive.

The students are demanding that the university immediately change the guards on campus.

The call to remove the security company intensified last year when students beat two people accused of theft to death.

Another grievance was that the university had missed the deadline to submit student results to the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS).

The students claim that the failure to meet the deadline has cost some of them the opportunity to be granted NSFAS funding.

WSU said if the students failed to heed instructions, the university would seek an eviction order.

However, the students have vowed to stay on campus until they have resolved their issues with management.

WSU SRC president Sinelizwi Mantangayi said they would not go home, as instructed by the vicechancellor. “The VC was giving advice which we can take or refuse,” Mantangayi said.

“We have refused to take his advice, we will remain here.

“It is time that our VC stops evicting us every time we voice our frustrations and actually engage with us.”

The students denied owning guns or having any knowledge of students carrying guns.

Mantangayi said the only form of weaponry they might have had would be stones.

Yesterday afternoon, the students gathered at the one of the residences, waiting for management to make contact with them.

“We are not going home. This is our campus, we are going to sit here until we resolve all our issues,” Mantangayi said.

“We are not going to damage any property, we are just here waiting to be addressed.”

This is our campus, we are going to sit here until we resolve all our issues