Wits volatile as cops and students engage in running battles

Stun grenades‚ rubber bullets‚ smoke canisters and teargas were used to drive back students as they renewed protests after an address by Economic Freedom Fighters chairperson Dali Mpofu at the University of the Witwatersrand on Tuesday morning.

Students were seen throwing stones and other projectiles at police officers in running battles.

Some police officers appeared to have been relieved of their riot shields and helmets‚ which were thrown back at them during a standoff outside the Great Hall.

That standoff faltered just after noon when students slowly approached the police picket before a fresh salvo of rubber bullets and stun grenades were fired.

At least one cop and one student were injured during that fracas‚ while student leader and former student representative council president Mcebo Dlamini was briefly detained by police after the incident. It is not clear what set off the renewed violence‚ but eNCA Bafana Nzimande ‏@nzimandebafana tweeted that “Dali Mpofu was walking with Wits students when police fired stun grenades. #Fees2017 #FeesMustFall #FeesMustFallReloaded”.

Advocate Dali Mpofu was walking with Wits students when police fired stun grenades. #Fees2017#FeesMustFall#FeesMustFallReloadedpic.twitter.com/NbQXSAxwfW

— Bafana Nzimande (@nzimandebafana) 04 October 2016

When Mpofu addressed the students‚ he said: “If the police want to shoot our children‚ then they must shoot us first.”

“It is not for us to judge you‚” Mpofu told them. “We are here to make sure that black lives are not lost unnecessarily.

“We are gathering a forum of lawyers that are going to intervene not just here but nationwide.”

He also called on former student leaders to come and join the protests taking place at the campus.

“Instead of relying on the media. People must come here and hear from you what the issues are and we must see for ourselves. This is your struggle. None of us must be allowed to take it over. It is your struggle and you will conduct it in a manner that you see fit.

“All of us who claim to support the call for free education must find a space to support your struggle without directing that you must go left or right.”

Wits management remained adamant that lectures will resume at the institution despite the clashes‚ with spokeswoman Shirona Patel saying: “We are asking students to stay inside buildings while police disperse the demonstrators.”

Earlier on Tuesday morning‚ two students‚ including FeesMustFall leader Busisiwe Seabe‚ were arrested.

Police spokesman Kay Makhubela said the university had obtained a court order preventing more than 15 people gathering at one point. He said the two arrested students would face a charge of contravening the court order.

“Essentially‚ while students were protesting‚ the police started throwing stun grenades at students…I was busy with an interview with eNCA‚ and then when I enquired about an arrested student I got arrested for asking too many questions‚” Seabe said of being taken into custody.

She was also seen in eNCA footage shouting‚ as the police van she was put in drove away‚ that: “We won’t not be deterred‚ we will continue to fight for free education whether we are arrested or not.”

A student‚ who only identified herself as Nomazwe‚ accused police of using excessive force.

“They attack us‚ at the slightest move we make. They must leave our campus. We cannot find solutions with police still here at the campus. We have a right to gather‚” she said.

Wits vice-chancellor Professor Adam Habib had warned on Monday night that “security and police services” would be “deployed on all campuses and in all buildings” and that “no mass meetings will be allowed in Solomon Mahlangu House” .

That seemed to have been ignored‚ with the All Residence Council tweeting a video clip from that building showing students dancing during an early morning vigil on Tuesday.

ARC 2016/2017‏@WITS_ARC posted: “Holding the Ground #NoRetreatNoSurrender #FeesMustFall”.

Holding the Ground #NoRetreatNoSurrender#FeesMustFallpic.twitter.com/9HwGyrTHT2

— ARC 2016/2017 (@WITS_ARC) October 3, 2016

The official Wits student representative council account @WitsSRC also retweeted @WITS_ARC’s advice to students should they be tear-gassed or pepper-sprayed.

pic.twitter.com/OjjVI8lf4A

— ARC 2016/2017 (@WITS_ARC) October 3, 2016

Habib had noted concerns “about learning in a ‘securitised’ environment with police guarding lecture halls”‚ and said “we scaled down our security for today (Monday) and requested the police to move to the campus perimeter”.

“However‚ given the harassment of some staff today‚ I am left with no choice but to open tomorrow with a full security contingent throughout our campuses‚” he added.