By Anita Dangazele
- A student was slapped and accused of hiding a sexual harassment suspect during a vigilante search at Nelson Mandela University.
- The incident adds to a wave of trauma at the university where six students have died in the past two months, including three suicides.
A student at Nelson Mandela University in Gqeberha was assaulted during a vigilante search for a man accused of sexual harassment.
A group of people forced their way into a residence looking for the suspect. But instead of finding him, they targeted the student who stayed in the room.
The incident was revealed in a Facebook post on Wednesday in the “Nelson Mandela University Group”. According to the post, the student offered to call the accused, who confirmed he was at a different residence called Dunes.
Despite this, the group slapped the student and accused him of hiding the suspect because they were friends.
“They pushed people and acted violently without cause. “It became clear that some were using the situation for political reasons,” the anonymous post read.
University spokesperson Zandile Ngwendu said the institution was aware of the incident and was taking it seriously. “This is a serious matter that has been brought to the attention of the university and is receiving attention,” she said.
This attack comes during a dark time for the university.
Six students have died in the last two months. Five deaths happened in just three weeks.
One of them, Bachelor of Education student Thabiso Ernest Nini, died by suicide earlier this month. Second-year student Sesethu Mboza also died by suicide on 31 October at an off-campus residence.
On the same day, two students ran into trouble while swimming at Victoria Bay. Lihle Shenxane drowned and Aphile Jozana died two days later in hospital.
A student was also killed during a burglary in Summerstrand, and another died after a fight at student housing in Gqeberha. A 26-year-old has been arrested for that murder.
The violence and deaths come as students across the country protest against gender-based violence.
At Wits University, students demonstrated after a rape accusation. At the University of Cape Town, students marched to a residence over alleged sexual assault.
These protests are building towards the Women for Change National Shutdown on Friday. The campaign is calling for 15 minutes of silence and wants gender-based violence declared a national disaster.
Pictured above: nelson mandela university main campus in gqeberha.
Image source: NMU Facebook page
