Top cop denies student ‘hit list’ as #FeesMustFall leader due back in court

18 October 2016 - 09:21 By TMG Digital

The South African Police Service (SAPS) will not be leaving campuses anytime soon. And it does not have a “hit list” of student protest leaders. National Commissioner Lieutenant-General Khomotso Phahlane noted that the arrest of University of the Witwatersrand leader “Mcebo Dlamini…in the early hours of Sunday morning …has led to allegations that the police is specifically targeting student leaders or trying to destabilise the #FeesMustFall initiative”.“This is untrue‚” he said on Monday. “Those who commit acts of criminality will be investigated and when sufficient evidence is obtained after a thorough investigation‚ arrests will be effected.”Dlamini spent another night in police custody after the Johannesburg Magistrates Court postponed his bail application until Tuesday.According to his lawyer‚ Mongezi Ntanga‚ Dlamini is charged with public violence‚ possession of dangerous weapons‚ theft and assault. It had earlier been reported that he faced a charge of assaulting a police officer.Other members of the Wits league of the #FeesMustFall movement are reportedly in hiding citing the existence of the “hit list”.Phahlane also vowed that police would not be moving off campus soon.“The deployment of members in and around the university precinct will remain unchanged until advised by the realisation of stability and order‚” he said.“Our planning and deployment measures will remain in place as long as the need exists for our presence to prevent and combat criminality‚ acts of violence and intimidation.”He did‚ however‚ stress that “the SAPS has not taken over operational control of any institution of higher learning in the country”.“The management and security within the institutions of higher learning remain the responsibility of the university concerned‚” he added.Wits on Monday night noted that “police are not allowed to enter residences unless it is to apprehend individuals involved in criminal activity”.“Going forward‚ all police officers are to be accompanied by campus control officials when entering any residence‚” management said.It also eased some of the restrictions of the 10pm curfew it imposed at the weekend.“There have been multiple legitimate requests from students who need to access university facilities for study purposes after 10pm‚” spokesperson Shirona Patel said. A list of venues was published later.There were reports that protests in defiance of the curfew on Monday night were disrupted.Wits SRC‏@WitsSRC tweeted: “Tear gas being thrown in the entrances of some residences affecting everyone inside. #HabibsApartheid”. ..

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