Fear for academics‚ staff safety at UWC as petrol bombs are found

19 October 2016 - 13:52 By Tanya Farber

Management at the University of the Western Cape have called on all staff and students to keep away from campus for their own safety. This comes after Campus Protection Services "discovered petrol bombs and petrol containers hidden at various places across campus" - prompting the police bomb unit to be brought in to see how dangerous the situation was.In a message to staff and students‚ the university said on Wednesday: “Early this morning‚ Campus Protection Services discovered petrol bombs and petrol containers hidden at various places across campus. The police bomb unit is on campus investigating the matter.“Campus remains closed and we would like to urge students and staff to desist from going to campus today given the safety and security concerns.”This comes two days after a meeting between the Vice Chancellor and students who had presented a list of 40 demands. The students questioned some of the responses that were given by the executive and demanded "further feedback on the resolution of their demands" within 48 hours.There was mixed reaction to the petrol bombs being found on social media‚ with some commentators expressing alarm over the find while others suggesting it was a ploy by UWC management to avoid a planned meeting with students on Wednesday.- TMG Digital/Cape Town Newsroom..

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