Fort Hare counts cost of protests

The university, which boasts a rich history of African leaders having studied there, among them, Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo, Robert Mugabe and Kenneth Kaunda, made headlines this week after significant damage was caused to its Alice main campus.

This after thousands of students broke into and looted a packed bookstore at the campus.

UFH vice-chancellor Dr Mvuyo Tom this week confirmed that the bookstore was one of nine properties damaged in the protests.

Tom described the aftermath as the worst he had experienced since joining the university.

This week a report submitted to the university’s management stipulated that about R950000 was needed to repair damage to the university’s property in East London and Alice. They were the following:

lThe staff and student centres;

lItec offices where printing was done;

lBookstore;

lUniversity transport offices;

lMaintenance department;

lGuard office and main entrance in Alice;

lCriminology department office; and

lStudent clinic in East London.

“On Wednesday we went to the main campus where we assessed the damage and we also received visuals of the damage that was caused in the campuses,” Tom said.

“Doors were broken, fires were started. Gauging from the student clinic in East London the intent was to burn the place down on Monday.

“In Alice, staff and student centres were badly damaged, especially the restaurant, kitchen and till areas,” Tom said.

Although the mopping-up process had already started this week, it was not clear when the rebuilding work would begin.

“We are happy to have reached an agreement though with the student representatives when we met with them this week and from Monday things will go back to normal,” Tom said

The vice-chancellor was confident that the UFH brand had not been tainted despite the protests.

“We spoke to their leaders this week and some of them had condemned the vandalism and looting.

“This was a national protest and the level of violence varied from university to university. The reputation and the brand of the university can never be killed by anyone or anything. It is too strong and no one can kill it,” Tom said.

Buffalo City Metro (BCM) councillor Siyabonga Jabavu said major damage was caused to the multi-million rand Fleet Street road project, when hundreds of UFH and Walter Sisulu University went on the rampage during the protests.

Last week students fled to the intersection of Fleet and Station street where they blocked the road and burnt dustbins.

Peak-hour traffic was diverted along several routes and reports of gridlocks around the city came flooding into the Dispatch offices.

Police intervened and fired stun grenades but students soon gathered again.

“They mostly damaged Fleet Street. They burnt some of the tools used by the construction company and tomorrow we are meeting with them again,” Jabavu said.

“They have had to claim for new tools from their insurance company,” Jabavu said, adding that it was not clear yet how much the metro would spend to fix the damage as more protest action had erupted on Thursday night.