The University of Zululand’s KwaDlangezwa campus yesterday suspended academic activity following protests by students who threatened to burn down the institution.
The shutdown has since forced hundreds of students to pack up and leave.
The violent protest was triggered allegedly by a lack of university security for students who live off-campus, with the protesting group citing an increase in rape cases, murder and gangsterism in recent weeks.
1 student shot dead, 2 were raped in 1 week at the University of Zululand, students residing offcampus are treated as step students by de university. The University only accomodate less 6000 students on their residence yet they enroll 15 000 plus students @SABCNews #BBMzanzi pic.twitter.com/Sf0M7oNaEE
— Skioto Nkalanga (@future_nkalanga) March 13, 2022
@ukhozi_fm @DBE_KZN @sziks @ANCKZN @IFPinParliament @EFFSouthAfrica @PresidencyZA The University of Zululand must be closed with immediate effect, sea what students has done to campus vehicles just now 14 March 2022. We can't tolerate such nonsense in our times pic.twitter.com/EQVzS38zYV
— Senzo-Tata KaMzilikazi eVryheid 🇿🇦 (@senzo_khumalo) March 14, 2022
University management said in a statement that it had decided to suspend academic activity to protect the lives of other students, its staff, and the university’s property.
It said: “The management has decided to suspend teaching and learning on the university campus with immediate effect. Management cannot sit idle while individuals purporting to be students commit criminal acts of thuggery, damage to property, theft, and threat to human life.
“Students will be informed in due course of what measures will be implemented to safeguard the academic programme.”
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