University of Fort Hare (UFH) East London campus students, who marched to the East London Magistrate’s Court yesterday to pledge their support for 20 students facing public violence charges, say they will not be part of the centenary celebrations planned for this weekend.
Campus premier Sonwabiso Mamkeli said instead they would disrupt the event by protesting outside the venue.
This after public violence charges against 20 UFH students were not withdrawn. The 20 students were arrested in October last year during violent #FeesMustFall protests.
The case has been postponed to June 21, pending a decision by the director of public prosecutions responding to a letter written by students’ attorney Pakamani Gasela requesting the charges be withdrawn.
Yesterday hundreds of students representing different political parties, SRC members and the South African Union of Students, staged a #ChargesMustFall protest. They marched to the East London Magistrate’s Court calling for the charges to be dropped.
The marching students were met by police and were not allowed within 100m of the court building.
Speaking to the Dispatch outside court, Mamkeli said: “We cannot be celebrating when our students are not free and are facing criminal charges.”
He said it was unjust to prosecute the 20 while charges against students who also took part in similar protests from other South African institutions were dropped.
“Our plan is to disrupt the centenary celebrations and capture the attention of those who will be attending,” said Mamkeli.
Those attending the event in Alice include Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and other African leaders.
Secretary of the EFF at the campus, Khazimla Matam, said the march was to pledge their solidarity and was not a politically affiliated movement.
“The results of the fight fought by the students appearing in court today is enjoyed by all, thus we need to show them our support,” he said.
Chairman of the ANCYL at the campus Banzi Nkita said students “were not feeling the celebrations” due to the court case hanging over the heads of fellow students.”
Daso’s institutional chairman Chuma Keli said the accused fought a worthy cause and the state needed to withdraw the charges.
The South African Union of Students (Saus) said they were deeply concerned that more than six months after the #FeesMustFall protest many students were still struggling with court cases, internal disciplinary hearings and suspensions.
Saus treasurer-general Misheck Mugabe said the union would mobilise students from Fort Hare and other surrounding institutions such as Buffalo City College and Walter Sisulu University to join the picketing at the next court appearance to intensify their call for the charges to be dropped. — arethal@dispatch.co.za