Another fight, another life lost at University of Fort Hare

Another University of Fort Hare student has died on campus after he was apparently stabbed by a fellow student.

UFH SRC premier James Nqabeni said the suspect had fled. “No one knows where he is”.

He was the eighth student to die on campus this year, said SRC president Alungile Kamtshe.

“This is wrong and it is very worrying how some students do not value life,” he said.

The incident happened on the Alice campus in the early hours of Saturday. The student died on the scene.

Kamtshe said that on Thursday night thousands of the Alice campus were gathering at the sports complex “to remember the eight lives of students lost since the beginning of the year”.

UFH institutional advancement director Thandi Mapukata confirmed to the Dispatch on Thursday that both the suspect and the victim were registered students at the university.

“According to information we have, a fight between the perpetrator and the deceased started outside university premises but resumed when the students returned to campus where the deceased sustained fatal injuries,” she said.

She said a case of murder had been opened at the Alice Police Station.

Mapukata said the suspect had been suspended from all academic activities. “A disciplinary process is under way.”

Mapukata said this was a tragedy for the university community.

Mapukata said the university had stepped up access control to all residences. “There are ongoing programmes to conscientise students about respect for self and the rights of others. You may also appreciate that some societal ills make their way into higher education spaces,” she said.