7 Unisa & 2 UKZN students appear in court on public violence charges
The South African Union of Students is leading the demonstration it wants funding for postgraduate students and the cancellation of historic debt.
DURBAN - Seven students from the University of South Africa (Unisa) and two from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) have appeared in the Durban Regional Court on charges of public violence.
They were arrested on Monday following violent protests at both institutions.
The South African Union of Students is leading the demonstration. It wants funding for postgraduate students and the cancellation of historic debt.
7 students are appearing in the Durban Magistrate’s court on charges of public violence. They are allegedly among a group that protested outside a #UNISA building in Dbn yesterday. The state has alleged that they burnt litter & damaged university property i.e. bins @NkoRaphael pic.twitter.com/rgNWoUhOLE
— EWN Reporter (@ewnreporter) January 28, 2020
Unisa’s SRC president in Durban Lungile Nhlenyama said they were not deterred by the arrests of their peers.
“We demand all the benefits that are received by other universities for Unisa students as well. Our Unisa students rely on their parents to pay for their accommodation and do not receive money for food.”
UKZN’s Howard College SRC chairperson Mphathi Majola accused police of making wrongful arrests.
“There are students who just came just to apply to the institution and some came for orientation and all those students were just apprehended by the police for absolutely no reason.”
All nine students accused of public violence have been released on R500 bail each and appear in court again in April.
