100 books lost to arson at Wits University

A fire in the Wartenweiler Library has damaged about 100 books at the University of the Witwatersrand while the Catholic sanctuary offered to Fees Must Fall protesters has criticised those who "violated" its neutrality.

The university said the fire yesterday afternoon was started in the last aisle on the library's second floor.

"Security has determined that the fire was started with an accelerant or flammable substance‚ which may have been hidden in a bag found on the scene.

"The fire was extinguished quickly and a high level investigation is under way by Wits Security and the police."

Wits is struggling with ongoing #FeesMustFall protest action‚ which began in September and is yet to be resolved. Yesterday‚ its executive management team was ordered to leave a peace meeting hosted by the Academic Staff Association of Wits University‚ church leaders and others at the Holy Trinity Church.

“We are disappointed that people felt that we should exit the peace meeting even after we had been invited to attend it‚” said Professor Adam Habib‚ Wits Vice-Chancellor and Principal. “We remain committed to working with students and student leaders in trying to find solutions to these issues‚ many of which can only be resolved at the national level. We recognise that passions are inflamed and that we should not take the reactions of some student leaders personally.”

Angry students at the meeting called for Habib to leave. Some students have accused the Wits vice chancellor of being responsible for the arrest of student activist Mcebo Dlamini.

Father Russell Pollitt from the Society of Jesus in South Africa on Thursday issued a statement saying the society "strongly condemns" the disruption of the attempted dialogue and the chaos that ensued at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church‚ Braamfontein.

"Holy Trinity has consistently attempted to create a space of neutrality and sanctuary in accordance with the long standing tradition of the Catholic Church. This safe and neutral space has been violated by those who declared God’s house to be exclusively theirs.

"Since genuine attempts to dialogue and find a resolution to the crisis seem to have ended‚ Trinity is regrettably no longer available as a venue for meeting."