Another act of violence has allegedly taken place at a Nelson Mandela University facility.
This time, some members of a group are accused of assaulting a student at the university’s Claude Qavane Residence.
The incident came to light on Wednesday after an anonymous social media user posted it in the “Nelson Mandela University Group” on Facebook.
The post claimed that a group of individuals had stormed the residence searching for someone “accused of sexual harassment”.
“They entered the residence and demanded to find the alleged suspect but did not find him inside the room,” the post read.
“The owner of the room co-operated with them ...
“He even offered to contact him to clarify the situation.
“The accused person later confirmed over the phone that he was at his own residence [Dunes] and that anyone looking for him could find him there.”
The post said that despite this, some members of the group had insisted that the room owner should be beaten, accusing him of protecting the accused simply because he knew him.
“Some people were slapping him.
“It became clear that some individuals were using the situation to fight their own political battles.
“They pushed people around and acted violently, without justification.”
NMU spokesperson Zandile Ngwendu said the university was aware of the incident.
“This is a serious matter that has been brought to the attention of the university and is receiving attention,” she said.
Ngwendu declined to provide more information but said the university was looking into the matter.
This comes after a tragic sequence of events that has left the university community reeling.
The university has lost six students in two months, with five deaths occurring within the space of just three weeks.
Earlier in November, third-year Bachelor of Education student Thabiso Ernest Nini took his own life.
The university also recently confirmed it was instituting a fact-finding inquiry into the death by suicide of second-year student Sesethu Mboza, who died at an off-campus residence on October 31.
On the same day, two other students, Lihle Shenxane, a Higher Certificate in Information Technology student, and Aphile Jozana, a Higher Certificate in Business Studies student, experienced difficulties while swimming at Victoria Bay in George.
Shenxane drowned while Jozana was rushed to hospital in critical condition and died on November 2.
Earlier in October, a student was killed and another was injured during a burglary at an off-campus residence in Summerstrand.
In a separate incident, a 24-year-old third-year logistics student from the faculty of business and economic sciences was found unresponsive at Premier Student Accommodation (PSA) in Gqeberha.
According to police, the student had been involved in a fight with another student.
Though the fight was stopped by another student who was injured, the victim was later found unresponsive and declared dead on the scene.
Police spokesperson Captain Sandra Janse van Rensburg confirmed that a 26-year-old suspect had been arrested on a charge of murder.
The most recent incident came in the same week that Wits University and University of Cape Town students protested against alleged incidents of gender-based violence at the respective campuses.
An alleged rape incident at Wits University triggered widespread outrage, a campus protest and a formal list of students’ demands calling for accountability, transparency and structural reform.
The protest took place last week in Braamfontein, where students gathered to express their anger over the university’s handling of gender-based violence (GBV).
A student at the university was suspended on Monday after allegations that he had raped a fellow student.
The demonstration followed a social media post by a student who alleged she had been raped by a member of a student body.
The dean of student affairs received a formal memorandum of demands from the protesting students.
The document outlined 25 demands, including the removal of the studentaccused of misconduct, greater transparency in investigations, improved safety infrastructure and a complete review of the university’s approach to gender-based harm.
University of Cape Town students also took to the streets last week after reports of alleged sexual assault and harassment involving a resident at Forest Hill residence.
The march began on the lower campus and ended at Forest Hill, where students demanded justice, accountability and safety for all residents.
Protesters also called for stronger action against perpetrators of GBV on campus.
The situation comes as SA prepares for the Women for Change National Shutdown on Friday.
The shutdown is calling for the public to abstain from economic participation and lie on the ground for 15 minutes in solidarity with GBV victims.
It is also seeking to have GBV declared a national disaster.
It has managed to get more than one-million signatures on a petition through initiatives including people changing their profile pictures to purple as a symbol of solidarity.
The Herald
