Seven TUT students given bail after a week in cells
SEVEN Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) students have spent a full week in police cells, after being arrested on campus during clashes between protesting students and hired security guards.
The fight broke out last week on Monday night inside the protest-torn Soshanguve south campus.
Security guards and police apprehended the seven, all not politically active students, amid a melee on campus.
They are facing a charge of public violence at a trial to be heard on April 15.
Their bail application was heard yesterday at the Soshanguve Magistrate’s Court. With the prosecutor not opposing the application because the state still wanted to gather more evi- dence, magistrate Bernard Swart granted bail.
Swart set bail at R1 500 for each of them, leaving fellow students to scramble to raise R10 500.
“They ’ ve spent seven days [in custody]. It’s very painful,” said Sthembiso ka Shandu, deputy president of the student representative council.
The 24 University of Pretoria students arrested last month, also on a charge of public violence on campus, were released on bail of R500 after spending a few hours in police custody.
The TUT seven had no lawyer when they appeared in court last Tuesday and Thursday, and were remanded in custody. Student leaders secured the services of two lawyers on a pro-bono basis at the weekend.
Yesterday the lawyers argued for free bail, but Swart said the circumstances under which they were arrested had to be taken into consideration.
The state prosecutor told court a riot by students caused damages worth R40 000 to TUT's property.
She said “fire was started, bricks were thrown towards security guards and other students ”. Added to this, a security guard was admitted to George Mukhari Hospital “due to this incident”.
The state blamed the protest for the closure of TUT Soshanguve campuses for a month.
Its management said the campuses would remain shut until April 5.
Students went on protest four weeks ago demanding that TUT gives a chance to indebted students to register and continue their studies, instead of dropping out.