Cape Town - Twelve students are set to appear in the Alice Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday for the torching of a University of Fort Hare (UFH) exam venue.
Aggrieved students set fire to the UFH indoor sports centre on Sunday night, just hours before the start of mid-year exams. It is alleged that students stormed the exam venue, removed furniture and torched the building.
Student Representative Council (SRC) president, Siphokazi Mbalo, said students from the faculty of education had raised concerns about their exam timetable.
“Their grievance was that the timetable was congested and had clashes that were inconveniencing them.
I tried to intervene with the dean of education and called a meeting where a new draft timetable was drafted, but the students rejected it. On Sunday students convened a meeting where I wasn’t present, and then the building was torched. I don't know who torched the building.
“If they have issues with a congested timetable, I understand them, but torching the venue is not the answer and we are disappointed with the act. Several students have been arrested and we are trying to ascertain how to best resolve the issue,” she said.
UFH spokesperson JP Roodt, however, said allegations of congested exam timetables as the basis for the violence on campuses were unfounded for several reasons.
“Students and faculties were consulted before the exams; exam module clashes were brought to the attention of the examinations department by faculties and students,and adjustments were made; and no formal complaint over the exams timetable clashes, as a student affairs concern affecting the majority of the student body, was brought to management by the SRC.
“The university is busy obtaining reports by students who witnessed the violence.
“We are also reviewing social media posts before the event and we are examining CCTV footage to identify perpetrators. The university is certainly not ruling out foul play or the deliberate sponsorship of student violence,” he said.
Roodt added that 12 students, including non-registered students, had been arrested for the incident and were set to appear in the Alice Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.
Police spokesperson Majola Nkohli said the police were called to the university shortly after 8pm on Sunday following a complaint about a violent protest at the Alice campus.
“At the scene police arrested 12 students for alleged malicious damage to property and burglary of a business after the university exam hall was slightly damaged and its furniture removed and torched outside the hall.
“It is alleged a mob then went amok and damaged several surveillance camera systems and looted the institution’s cafeteria,” Nkohli said.
Cape Times