UFH student deaths raise fears

Students returning from a fellow student’s funeral were traumatised on their way back to Fort Hare University's Alice campus when they came upon a horrific crash in which another student had died.

On Saturday night, the  students were travelling between King William’s Town and Middledrift came across the body of Athenkosi Booi, who died when the car he was travelling in was involved in a crash.

The students were returned from burying, Sipho Khwezi, of Dutywa, who died in a car accident  between Alice and Middledrift on August 22.

Booi’s death came just a week after Andrew Mandela died after he was allegedly stabbed by a fellow student.

Mandela of Scenery Park outside East London is still to be buried.

Nine students from UFH have died this year.

The UFH SRC on Alice campus is organising a cleansing ceremony on Saturday.

Different faith-based organisations will be part of the event to chase away evil spirits that are causing student deaths, said SRC premier at the Alice campus, James Nqabeni.

Nqabeni said students made the request to their office, “because they felt there were dark forces behind all the deaths that have been happening. Students are really scared. All these deaths have affected them psychologically”.

Students took to social media to express their fears.

Vuyolwethu Mejane wrote: “We are facing a serious problem here, our fellow students are dying.”

UFH director of institutional advancement Tandi Mapukata described Mandela’s death as a tragedy for the university.

“We condemn all forms of violence where our students are involved, whether on or off campus,” she said.