Violence flares up at TUT campus after student elections

A student was killed at the Tshwane University of Technology’s Soshanguve campus outside of Pretoria overnight‚ where violence erupted following SRC elections.

The elections were held on Thursday.

Police on Friday confirmed that there was a fatality at the TUT Soshanguve campus.

“There was a person who was killed but we don’t know what was the circumstances were. We are investigating that at the moment‚” said Captain Kay Makhubela.

The deceased was reported to have been a student who was killed as police came in to intervene amid clashes which erupted following SRC elections.

“The ongoing campus violence has sadly resulted in the tragic death of one student‚ after the police allegedly fired shots at a group of students‚” Democratic Alliance Student Organisation (Daso) chairperson‚ Sam Beynon‚ said in a statement.

She said they were deeply concerned about the violence and conveyed their condolences to the student’s family and friends.

“We will now proceed to write to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) and Police Minister Bheki Cele to urgently investigate why the police used live ammunition on the group students‚” said Beynon.

“We condemn this use of force. It is paramount that law enforcement and private security act with restraint in volatile environments.”

The unrest was reportedly sparked by allegations that the SRC elections had been rigged.

Amid the unrest‚ students took to social media to post videos of the chaos which unfolded.

Some videos showed that several fires had been started on the campus‚ with disgruntled students setting alight ballot papers.

The police and university spokesperson could not be immediately reached for comment.

This is a developing story.