Two students from the University of Fort Hare are receiving treatment for gunshot wounds following a significant escalation of ongoing protests at the institution’s Alice campus, which saw an administration building set on fire.
The protests, which began on Monday, have been driven by student demands for the holding of Student Representative Council (SRC) elections and the resignation of the University’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sakhela Buhlungu.
The situation intensified dramatically when a fire broke out at a key administrative block. According to a student leader, Asonele Magwaxaza, the arson was a direct result of heightened frustration after two students were shot with live ammunition.
“As we are speaking, two children are laying in hospital. They were shot using the live bullet,” Magwaxaza stated during an interview, alleging that police officers were responsible for the shooting. He also confirmed the presence of a private security company named Falcon on campus.
The university has been a hotbed of tension due to a dispute over student governance. Students are protesting an interim SRC structure they say was imposed by the university management without their consent. They also allege that recent amendments to the student governance constitution were made without proper consultation.
“The management is forcing the interim SRC from the management to students,” Magwaxaza explained. “Now students are demanding elections… so that they can democratically elect their people which they trust.”
The call for Vice-Chancellor Buhlungu’s resignation is based on claims that his term extension violated university statutes. “The VC has reached the maximum years which under statute of the university,” Magwaxaza said, adding that the extension was reportedly approved by the University Council without consulting key structures like the Institutional Forum and the Senate.
The university has obtained an interdict against the protests, leading to several student arrests in recent days. Magwaxaza described the arrests as “untimely” and claimed the university management has been unresponsive to their memorandums and demands.
“When you are dealing with the arrogance and ignorance… students want the management and also other relevant stakeholders to come and listen and try to resolve all these issues,” he said.
When pressed on what might happen next, Magwaxaza could not guarantee a de-escalation. “I can’t guarantee what’s going to happen next because even what is happening now was not guaranteed before,” he said, adding that he could not confirm students were responsible for the fires, suggesting the chaos, including “bombs and so many sounds of bullets,” made it difficult to determine the origin of the blazes.
The situation on the ground remains volatile as police and private security maintain a presence on campus.
