UKZN protests flare up again
There have been reports of students throwing glass bottles and stones at the police.
UKZN protestors are out in full force again today.
They began gathering at the Oval Residence at the Westville campus this morning. They barricaded the entrances, preventing other students from leaving the residences. Other groups of students attempted to disrupt lectures and intimidate students at various lecture theatres.
Lesiba Seshoka, executive director of corporate relations at UKZN, reported on Monday, 17 October that the Senate had appointed a task team to look into the recovery of the academic programme.
However, incidences of protest action and violence on the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s (UKZN) Howard College and Westville campuses on Monday afternoon, caused the lectures to be cancelled once again.
“On the Westville campus, protesting students stopped buses and caused disruptions at some lecture venues and a residence [yesterday]. Some students threw stones and glass bottles at police. Four students were apprehended by Security Services (University Risk Management Services, Mi7, Public Order Policing) and SAPS,” said Seshoka.
He added that a few students caused disruptions at a main building, setting-off firecrackers at a lecture venue and student LAN on the Howard College campus. Two protestors were identified by University Risk Management Services and their student information has been handed over to the SAPS. The protestors dispersed later.
Both campuses turned into a war zone last Thursday, 13 October, when students, police and security services (SAPS, RMS and private security) were in a stand off. The violence was fueled by a WhatsApp message that was sent out on Wednesday which went viral on social media. The message warned students about attending lectures the following day and threatened that they will face “blood, gore and tears if they dare come to the campus.”
Students burned university property on the staircase of L Block and also threw rocks at police and private security companies in a fit of rage. According to some student reports, the violence was sparked when police pointed their firearms at students. Police also tear-gassed the student residence.
The Westville campus was placed on high alert on Friday, 14 October. Seshoka said reports received indicated a low student turnout on campus and Security Services (SAPS, RMS and private security) were monitoring a group of protestors at the residences. Some students were detained for releasing fire extinguishers and crackers resulting in the disruption of academic activity on the Howard College campus. The students were handed over to the Umbilo SAPS who subsequently released them.
