Cele heads to TUT campus for ‘crime imbizo’

Police Minister Bheki Cele and his top brass will visit the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) Soshanguve South Campus next week to finally deal with the spate of crime and violence against students.

This planned “crime imbizo” will include student bodies, the university and members of the Soshanguve community.

Cele’s spokesperson Nonkululeko Phokane yesterday confirmed that the minister would be at the campus on May 11.

His visit will follow the latest attack, on first-year student Promise Masoka, 22. She was overpowered in a toilet and almost raped. Her would-be rapist allegedly slapped her in the face and stabbed her in the tongue to silence her screams. He was caught by a security guard and is in police custody.

Students welcomed the visit, saying “Bheki Cele is the right man for the job”.

“TUT Soshanguve South campus is the most neglected campus. The management are not looking after us,” said South African Students’ Congress and ANC Women’s League young women’s desk representative Zandi Tshabalala.

Student representative council (SRC) president Katlego Makyobola echoed that sentiment, saying they never got any joy from university management.

“The management of this university is very arrogant,” he said.

Tshabalala said they would present a list of all the students who had been murdered, attacked, sexually assaulted, raped, robbed and mugged to the minister.

“We had break-ins in our rooms. We are safe nowhere, not on campus and not off campus. The community and the university does not have a relationship,” Tshabala said.

She said they would also present a list of the cases reported to the campus protection services to the minister.

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