Three people held hostage in a house in Verulam, with one person reportedly shot and injured.
Police in the Free State province have launched a manhunt for two male suspects following the death of a student from the Central University of Technology (CUT), Bloemfontein.
According to police spokesperson Thabo Covane, a 23-year-old CUT university student and a 20-year-old female witness were both walking from a local store at about 22:30 when they were accosted and attacked by the suspects on Saturday.
Covane said one of the perpetrators allegedly assaulted the 20-year-old and robbed her of a Hewlett Packard laptop and toiletries bag, while the other one went after the 23-year-old male friend.
“As she walked further down John Knox Street after the attack, she came across the body of her male friend lying motionless in the middle of the street. She noticed that he was bleeding from a wound at the back of the head. All suspects boarded the old Mercedes Benz sedan and fled in the direction of Paul Kruger Street,” he added.
Police and paramedics arrived at the scene and the victim was rushed to hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.
Meanwhile, the African National Congress Parliamentary Caucus Study Group on Higher Education and Training, Science, and Innovation said it is appalled by the tragic murder of the student.
“The theft, which targeted student accommodation houses, resulted in a loss of devices in one of the student accommodations while the deceased was shot at the other.”
“We grieve with the family of the student and the student community. The deceased is a student at the University of Free State. We call on the university to provide sufficient trauma counselling for students and support the deceased’s family,” said the ANC in a statement.
The party also urged authorities to work tirelessly to bring the perpetrators to book. It has also called on higher education institutions to prioritise student safety and security for on-campus and off-campus students working with law enforcement agencies.
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