TUT suspends activities for the rest of the week after death of law student

The Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) has suspended academic activities for the rest of the week as it mourns the death of law student Katlego Andries Monareng.

“Today (Monday)‚ the University announced an institution-wide week of mourning for Monareng who died after he was hit by a bullet outside the University’s Soshanguve North campus during the annual SRC [Student Representative Council] elections‚” TUT spokesperson Willa de Ruyter said.

“As a public display of mourning‚ the TUT flag will fly half-mast at all campuses until the end of the week.”

TUT is helping Monareng’s family with his funeral and memorial service arrangements. The university said it would announce the academic plan for the rest of the semester “shortly”.

Monareng was a final year law student who was shot on Thursday during a protest over alleged vote rigging and election fraud.

A TUT student who spoke to TimesLIVE last week claimed that police had used live ammunition.

He claimed students were demanding answers after an independent presiding officer was found with a box full of used ballot papers. Security services intervened after students confronted the presiding officer.

“The person was caught and the students confronted him‚ wanting to know who had sent him. They wanted to assault him but the security guards intervened and took him to the control room. The next thing‚ there were police [officers present]‚” said the student‚ who asked to remain anonymous.

“They just released shots and we even found empty cartridges‚ to prove that they were not using rubber bullets.”

Asked about Monareng’s shooting‚ the student said: “It seemed like [he] had been shot on the head‚ above the ear.”

The student said Monareng had died on his way to the hospital.

The police and the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) are investigating Monareng’s death. TUT announced on Friday it would conduct a forensic investigation into allegations of possible vote rigging and election fraud.