UWC denies rape claim, police still investigating

The University of the Western Cape (UWC) has denied that one of its students was arrested for rape, but the police said they took a person in for questioning after accusations were made on Tuesday night.

“This is false,” said UWC spokesperson Gasant Abarder amid heightened fear over attacks on women, and running protests in Cape Town on Wednesday.

“The University of the Western Cape has noted rumours of the rape of a student on campus last night (September 3). We have not received any reports of rape and are looking into the allegations.”

Western Cape police spokesperson Siyabulela Malo said Bellville South police went to the university to attend to a scene at 01.00am.

“Upon their arrival at the scene it was alleged that a male student was accused of raping a fellow student,” said Malo.

“Action was taken by police to restore the peace when students became riotous. No injuries were reported during this incident and the alleged suspect was brought to Bellville South police for questioning.”

On Wednesday, hundreds of protesters, many of them students and scholars, took to the streets of Cape Town to demand action over the rape and murder of women.

This was after a Post Office employee was arrested in connection with the murder of missing University of Cape Town student Uyinene Mrwetyana; Lynette Volschenk was found chopped up in her flat; Jesse Hess and her grandfather Chris were killed in their flat; and, the Daily Voice reported that 14-year-old Janika Mallo’s body was found in her grandmother’s yard.

The final work on a new strategy to prevent gender based violence is under way, said Dr Olive Shisana on the sidelines of one of many protests throughout Cape Town over violence against women on Wednesday.

Shisana chairs an interim committee working on a plan to prevent the violence, after it became clear that previous strategies were not working.

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