WSU closes its Butterworth campus due to student unrest

Walter Sisulu University has closed  its Butterworth campus this morning due to student unrest, university interim vice chancellor Professor Khaya Mfenyana announced.

This comes amid plans to reopen doors of learning on February 8. Registration started on Monday last week and was set to be finalised on Friday next week (February 5).

In  a memo addressed to "the university community" this morning, Mfenyana said the decision taken by management followed an appeal to the university community to restore operations on campus recently. "That appeal was also followed by another attempt on Friday to establish SRC for this campus. That attempt, like many others before, failed to yield any positive outcome."

Mfenyana said the situation on campus had detoriarated.

"University property has been destroyed and the traffic at the public national road has been blocked. This poses serious risks to the safety and lives of all students and staff at this campus."

He said the campus and residents were scheduled to be vacated at midday.

The university security services, together with the support of police, were assisting to ensure compliance with the decision.

"The university will not be held liable and responsible for any student remaining on campus after 9pm," Mfenyana said.

Butterworth police spokesman Captain Jackson Manatha said poice had diffused the situation and no one was injured or arrested. "Vehicles are now moving safely on the N2," Manatha said.

SRC president Buhle Tetyana said political formations on campus could not agree on the constitution of the SRC. "There have been problems with the establishment of the SRC because some political parties are not satisfied with the way the issue has been handled."