For immediate release
The ANCYL condemns in the strongest possible terms the fatal shooting of a student at Walter Sisulu University (WSU) and the injury of two others during the same incident. This senseless act of violence has shocked the nation and highlights the need for urgent action to ensure student safety. It has become evident that students not only need protection from external perpetrators but also need to be protected from certain University personnel and management.
We further express profound disappointment in the university management’s attempts to downplay and spin the story, suggesting that the students were acting in a manner that necessitated self-defence. This narrative is not only insensitive but also deflects accountability from the true perpetrator who is a residence manager at the university.
Furthermore, the attempts by the university to deflect the matter to being one of the registration or none thereof of the deceased is extremely perplexing. We therefore call on the university to rectify this position and immediately suspend the residence manager involved, pending the finalisation of the investigation.
We thank the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training for their prompt attention to this matter and call on them to conduct interviews with both students and university management to get to the bottom of the incident. We call on law enforcement agencies to act swiftly in apprehending the residence manager responsible for this heinous act. Universities are gun-free zones and anyone who is caught in possession of a firearm on campus should be charged.
Lastly, we are steadfast in our demand for justice for the victim and their family, as well as comprehensive support for the injured students. We emphasize the need for universities to prioritize student safety and well-being, ensuring that such incidents do not recur.
We call on the university management to take full responsibility for ensuring a safe environment for all students and staff. Those responsible for this tragedy must be held accountable and not defended through perpetual untruths. We stand in solidarity with the affected students, their families, and the broader university community, demanding justice and safety for all. We will engage with the relevant government departments and leaders, to ensure that our calls are heeded.
We remain committed to our advocacy of youth related matters and will continue to be the voices of reason behind the Youth of the Eastern Cape in particular, and that of the country in general.
Issued by the Eastern Cape ANCYL.
For more info, contact:
Francisco Dyantyi
Provincial Secretary
0784492422
Siviwe Ngaba
Provincial Spokesperson
0720614313
