By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Walter Sisulu University (WSU) says a person who died after being shot in the Mthatha campus on Tuesday morning was not a student at the institution.
In a statement released late on Tuesday, WSU said the protest action had erupted without warning or formal engagement from students.
University spokesperson Yonela Tukwayo said initial talks with the university’s Institutional Student Representative Council (ISRC) revealed that student leaders were also unaware of any planned protest action.
Tukwayo said the situation escalated when “a group of people and students forcefully entered a staff member’s on-campus residence.”
During the incident, the staff member’s wife sustained serious head injuries and is currently being treated in hospital.
She said the staff member and his young children had to be rescued by the South African Police Service while their car was set alight by students.
She said two protestors sustained minor injuries and have since been discharged from hospital.
“Tragically, a third person lost their life during the home invasion. This individual is not a registered student nor a staff member of the University,” Tukwayo confirmed.
Tukwayo clarified that the deceased was unknown, and that “authorities are working to determine the identity of the deceased and the reason for their involvement in the incident.”
SAPS Eastern Cape Commissioner Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana released a statement acknowledging the shooting incident and confirming that the vehicle that was set alight by students belonged to the residence manager. The statement went on to say that his wife was hit on the head with a hard object. The family was rescued by Mthatha Public Order Policing.
WSU strongly condemned the violence, urging students to use formal channels to raise their concerns.
“The University remains committed to open and transparent engagement with students through the Institutional SRC,” the statement reads.
“We urge all students to use established internal channels to responsibly and peacefully communicate grievances and concerns.”
Meanwhile Democratic Alliance (DA) MPL Yusuf Cassim said the incident should not be viewed in isolation, but rather as the most recent outcome in long-standing pattern of instability, poor oversight and unchecked escalation at the institution.
“This tragic shooting comes less than a month after the university shut down all campuses due to violent protests and raises serious questions about what steps, if any, were taken in the interim to address the causes of unrest and restore safety,” he said in a statement.
The GOOD Party said that tensions have been escalating at universities in recent years, and it was deeply alarming that pursuing education had come at a cost.
“The university experience should be one of intellectual growth, cultural exchange and empowerment – not fear and trauma,” it said in a statement.
“Instead, the south African reality for many students is marred by financial exclusion, accommodation crises and administrative inefficiency. These issues must not be normalised.”
Cassim has urged provincial leaders to get in contact with Higher Education and training Minister Nobuhle Nkabane to facilitate a coordinated response.
This should include ensuring that the university’s management is held accountable and that systemic issues are addressed at the highest level, he said.
Nkabane has engaged with the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Rushiella Nolundi Songca, to get a full briefing and offer the department’s support.
The minister has also requested that the university furnishes her with a comprehensive report on the incident as a matter of urgency.
She will visit the university in the coming days to engage with stakeholders, assess the situation on the ground and ensure that appropriate measures are taken to protect the university community.
“Dr Nkabane is resolute that no student should ever be harmed while accessing their right to education. This must be the last time we are forced to respond to such a tragedy at our institutions of higher learning,” her department said.