Student shot as Fort Hare protest over financial aid turns violent

A University of Fort Hare student was injured when a protest at the Alice campus turned violent.

The shooting is said to have happened on Wednesday when police responded to students who were allegedly damaging university property.

The Daily Dispatch spoke to sources who said students were striking over outstanding meal allowances and bursary funds. The strike action continued until Thursday. On Friday morning but there was no activity on campus and there was a heavy police and security presence.

A student movement leader, who refused to be named, fearing he would be suspended by the institution, said students were angered by management s response to their peaceful

’ demonstrations. They then became violent and smashed cars on campus, among other things.

This came after negotiations with their leaders and management collapsed earlier this week. He said the situation was still tense.

On Friday the Dispatch phoned UFH spokesperson Tandi Mapukata for comment. She requested questions be sent to her. However, at time of writing, no response had been received.

When the Dispatch called the student who had been shot in the right knee, he was en route to Cecilia Makiwane Hospital in Mdanstane after being transferred from Victoria hospital in Alice on Friday morning. He confirmed he had been shot, but refused to give his name.

“The bullet is still in me. I m planning to

’ open a case once I receive medical help and I ’ m OK to move around. .”

The student leader said that last week Wednesday student political organisations had drafted a memorandum, demanding meal allowance be paid to all NSFAS students.

“We are fighting for our meal allowances for December and January as the minister of higher education, Blade Nzimande, said we should be given that money, as the academic year has been extended,” he said.

“Our institution is delaying the process of paying us our monies and we don t know

’ why. They claim to be engaging NSFAS. They have been ducking and diving.”

He said 126 students at the Alice campus who had been admitted to the institution in 2018 under the understanding that they had been granted NSFAS loans, were recently told by the institution they were benefiting from university funds, and the institute could no longer pay their fees.

“We have students who applied manually to the institution in 2018 for bursaries and they were given funds for 2018 to 2019, only to find out that they were being funded by the university, not by NSFAS or by other bursary funds.

“So this year the institution said it would not be able to fund them. Why didn t the institution

’ alert students earlier.”

He said they also demanded residence reimbursements

“which amount to at least

”

R13,000 per student for those who lived in a residence this year.

“Students left in March and came back in August; that s four months and we want that

’ money to buy study materials. We never stayed at res for those four months; they must pay us back.”