VUT security companies clash
Outgoing VUT SRC president accuses management of shuffling security companies instead of dealing with student issues.
Police gather outside the entrance to the VUT campus where security is preventing protesters from entering the premises on 11 May 2016. Students were protesting against the security company contracted to protect the campus. PHOTO: Jacques Nelles
With just a few days to go before the official start of the new academic year at institutions of higher learning, a scuffle broke out between two rival security groups at the Vaal University of Technology (VUT) in Vanderbijlpark on Wednesday morning.
It is believed the university informed one of the security companies their services would no longer be needed a few days before their contract came to an end, an alleged move that also infuriated students.
Speaking to The Citizen, outgoing VUT SRC president Troy Mathebula accused management of being too quick to change security companies, rather than dealing with student issues.
He said the issue of historical debt remained unresolved, as thousands of students were still unregistered.
“We are calling on all security companies currently here on campus to leave and we are demanding insourcing.
“As much as we are hoping that management should meet us to sort out all these issues, the possibility of a protest can also not be ruled out because students are not happy with how university issues are being handled,” Mathebula said.
More police officers have been deployed to the university, which was last year marred by violent protests during the #FeesMustFall demonstrations that gripped most universities around the country.
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