South Africa’s University of Zululand has announced the suspension of all academic activities at the KwaDlangezwa campus after violent protests that rocked the institution yesterday.
The latest unrest comes after students expressed concern at the level of safety at the off-campus student accommodation following attacks and thefts.
“The business of the university was disrupted this morning by an unruly mob that threatened to burn the university property. The university management has the responsibility to safeguard the life of its students, staff and property,” said a statement issued by university management.
“We regret the inconvenience that this will cause to students that remain committed to their studies. Students will be informed in due course of what measures will be implemented to safeguard the academic programme,” added the management.
The university has however reiterated its zero-tolerance approach to criminal behaviour and refuted claims that it was not acting on reported incidents.
“The University of Zululand has noted with concern, ongoing fake reports that off-campus residences are routinely being attacked. The university is accused of doing nothing about these incidents. This is not true. The university wishes to put on record that it has adopted a zero-tolerance approach towards violence and criminal behaviour,” said management.
They added that various methods of intervention had been devised, including enlisting the services of the SAPS and the Public Order Policing to assist and follow up on incidents of crime.
“The university has no legal authority to engage in policing and security beyond its premises, and for this reason, it has sourced additional accommodation off-campus from service providers that would meet the specifications as defined by the Department of Higher Education and Training.”
The university emphasised that students had a choice of living at a university residence or an accredited off-campus residence.
