The pandemonium at campuses around the country could have been avoided if the university councils had been decisive on the minister’s decision to increase fees by up to 8% in 2017‚ according to the chairperson of the Bench Marks Foundation‚ the Bishop Jo Seoka. “It is hard to fathom that a black government can throw a bomb at the universities by expecting them to deal with the vexed issue of fee increments‚ when it is the ruling party that ascended to power with loud promises of free education‚” Seoka said in a statement on Sunday.“The timing was badly calculated considering the rising tension in the country caused by many matters ranging from corruption to the undermining of the rule of law by the political elite led by President Jacob Zuma‚” he said.Seoka added that the violence that had been witnessed resulted from “notably badly trained police who appear to be trigger happy‚ as was seen in the Marikana massacre where 34 striking miners were mercilessly mowed down by the state organ which is meant to enforce peace and justice”.“It is my humble prayer that the SAPS not be used for political games. Students‚ as we observe in various unfolding violent clashes on campuses‚ did not initiate violence. The ill-equipped police‚ starting at Wits University and now at Rhodes University‚ did so‚” Seoka charged.“Live camera pictures do not lie. On the first day when it all started students at Wits gathered at about 05h30 to seek counsel from each other on the Minister’s pronouncement. The SAPS‚ accompanied by university security personnel‚ charged at the students.“They were assisted by the university security personnel who were later seen hurling stones and rocks at protesting students in full glare of the media. In fact‚ the less said about campus security the better‚” the bishop said.“Female students were assaulted and dragged on the ground by campus guards eager to please their employers by quelling students’ pandemonium. What we have seen is not policing but an attack on peaceful students protest‚ which is a human right enshrined in our Constitution. “Chaotic protest that continues to spread to almost all universities could have been avoided if the ruling party had the guts to engage frankly with the general students’ leadership and explained that any impediments course‚ be dealt with.“It is my humble call on university Vice Chancellors and their councils to take a decisive decision to remove police from campuses and call for an all-inclusive national dialogue on the matter that will hopefully result in a consensus on the way forward‚ so that students and those who support their legitimate call for free higher education in the land of the plenty can notice that despite challenges they are nonetheless taken seriously. Parents and big business must be invited to play a leading role in this conversation and at the end elect credible citizens to investigate how this challenge of no fee higher education is attained.“I strongly urge that campus security personnel should be allowed on campus primarily to protect university assets as well as the students‚ instead of being provocative and hostile as has been the noticeable case thus far‚” Seoka stated.TMG Digital..