WSU student murdered

THE Walter Sisulu University (WSU) campus was left reeling with shock at the death of another student, who was stabbed on campus at the weekend.

The incident happened at the Nelson Mandela Drive campus on Friday night and brings to two the number of students killed there within just five months.

Anda Mhaga, a 28-year-old social science student, who is the nephew of the spokesman for the Justice Department, Mthunzi Mhaga, was allegedly stabbed to death by a fellow student at KGB residence. He died in the arms of his best friend and roommate, Joshua Moyo.

“He was intervening in the fight among two other students in the corridor of the ground floor. But one of them turned on him. He drew a knife and tried to charge at ‘Bro Mavovo’ .”

Moyo said the corridor lights went off and they heard Mhaga saying he was being stabbed.

“The lights were then turned on again. He had collapsed. We tried to resuscitate him and took him next to the main door. We tried to bandage his wound to prevent further bleeding while others called security, police and ambulance. Unfortunately he died in our own arms before the ambulance arrived,” said Moyo.

The Daily Dispatch yesterday spoke to several students who told of a number of stabbing incidents at campus residences.

Police said there were three separate incidents on campus on Friday night involving alcohol resulting in injury to four students.

Police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Mzukisi Fatyela said the killing happened at about 11pm on Friday after a fight broke out.

“The student was stabbed several times and he died on the spot,” said Fatyela.

He said a 20-year-old student had since been arrested.

Luzuko Delihlazo, the secretary of residences committee, said: “It has just become a tradition that Fridays have become drinking days. But this last Friday was the worst and had a number of bad results – the killing and another stabbing. It cannot be left like this.”

The family has been devastated by the death of Mhaga, who was a class representative.

His mother Thembisa Mhaga, a Butterworth school principal, was distraught at the death of her third child who she called Mabhuti.

“I hoped that he would be the one who would look after the family when I am no more,” said Thembisa, whose husband died of a heart attack last December.

She said her son’s death has raised more questions than answers.

“What I know for sure is that he was stabbed three times on the upper body. It is not yet clear as to what really happened.”

Mhaga will be buried on September 20.

WSU spokeswoman Angela Church said said although the matter was now in the hands of the police, WSU would do its own investigation.

Mhaga’s killing came a week after a female student collapsed and died at the adjacent KTC female residence. She died of natural causes.

It also came hardly five months after Sandiso Mfihlo died after being stabbed in the neck in April at the same campus during the Pan Africanist Student Movement of Azania’s election victory celebration.

The students lamented the apparent lack of safety measures at the institution.

Police and student leaders complained about the high level of abuse of alcohol on campus. — lulamilef@dispatch.co.za