By SINO MAJANGAZA and ADRIENNE CARLISLE
The University of Fort Hare was shutdown yesterday and students ordered to vacate all residences by 5pm today after a call to return to classes was ignored by a group of “disruptive students”.
In a letter addressed to students, Fort Hare management said it had noted that students had not returned to classes. “This is with the exception of a few in East London who were intimidated by the disruptive students.”
The university said it was left with no alternative but to temporarily close.
The order came as chaos erupted in Grahamstown at Rhodes University, resulting in a number of students being arrested.
Police fired rubber bullets and stun grenades at the protesting students and arrested 11 of them after numerous skirmishes yesterday morning. Some of the bullets were shown to computer science Professor Philip Machanick.
Rhodes had on Tuesday night announced the academic programme would resume yesterday, but the Rhodes student representative council issued a statement that students should stay away.
While hundreds of students heeded the call to return to lectures, small groups of protesters went to lecture venues to urge them to continue the boycott. Several lectures had to be abandoned after being disrupted. At the massive Barratt lecture complex a fire alarm was triggered, making lecturing impossible.
Small bands of protesters and police clashed on campus during the morning with some being pepper-sprayed during confrontations.
By 11am it became clear that attitudes on both sides were hardening.
Several protesters attempted to disrupt a lecture at the law department but students attending the lecture asked them to leave. Both law dean Professor Rosaan Kruger and Prof Laurence Juma weighed in, asking the protesters to please leave. Students at the lecture venue shouted at them to “get out, get out”.
Police arrived and arrested five of the protesting students. Several students were pepper-sprayed as they shouted at police while they escorted the arrested students out of the building.
Police spokesman Captain Luvuyo Mjekula said the arrested students would be charged with contravening the interim high court interdict.
Earlier this year the university was granted an interdict prohibiting student protesters from, among other things, disrupting lectures and the administration of the university.
About 15 minutes after the confrontation in the law department, police opened fire on dozens of protesters who had crossed the Drostdy lawns onto Somerset Street.
Another five students were arrested during the confrontation. Mjekulu said they would face charges related to blockading a public road. A sixth student was arrested and faced charges of malicious damage to property after allegedly hurling a brick at a police vehicle, he said.
Witnesses said there had been an exchange of insults between police and students and, after the brick had been thrown, police fired stun grenades.
Videos show students fleeing back onto Drostdy lawns. Police opened fire on the students, who they claimed had again become confrontational.
A woman cowering under the wall on the university side was hauled over the wall by a policeman and shoved into a police van. A video showing the woman being dragged over the wall yesterday went viral on social media.
Concerned staff and students in the afternoon appealed to people to donate money for bail for those who had been arrested.
Mjekula said the arrested students were being processed and would likely appear in court this morning.
Some students sustained injuries during the scuffle and many were traumatised by the day’s events. They received treatment and support at the scene.
Fort Hare vice-chancellor Mvuyo Tom had issued a similar call to that of Rhodes asking students to return yesterday.
“The university management urges all law-abiding students who wish to continue with their studies to report to their lecture hall by 8am on September 28,” wrote Tom.
Although some East London Fort Hare students attempted to return, they were blocked from doing so.
Fort Hare issued a second letter yesterday afternoon informing students of the closure. “All students are expected to have vacated the residences by 5pm on Thursday.”
They could return to residences on October 11.
At a meeting late yesterday afternoon UFH students vowed to not leave the residences.