The University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) saw a group of female students take a stand against police brutality yesterday. This followed after a student was allegedly raped and others sexually harassed by the police during the #FeesMustFall protest at the Pietermaritzburg (PMB) campus on Monday.
Students gathered on the library lawns at 8am and began by praying for their university. Afterwards there was a march down to the main gate on Durban road. Students wore black to signify that this matter seemed to affect only black students.
Students placed emphasis on this being a peaceful protest as one student said “We are here for peace, fighting for the rights of those students whose ‘NO’ did not mean ‘NO’.” Another student, Kylie Slambert, said “Today is about showing the world that we can make our point peacefully, but we want you people to stand up and see what we are saying and what is happening at our campus. It cannot go on like this, enough is enough.”
During the march students expressed their pain and unhappiness about female students being sexually harassed while protesting for free education. An anonymous student spoke out and said “One of the students who was sexually abused was walking from Checkers to campus during the protest.”
Students expressed that protesting does not give individuals authority to disregard their rights and that their rights should not be violated by those who are supposed to protect them, the SA Police Services (SAPS). During the march, students pointed out the police officer who had been accused of sexual harassment. The policeman was inside a police vehicle. Students surrounded the police van demanding that he get out the car or get arrested. Students said “We need the support of South Africa because this will not end until someone does something about it.”
After the march, one student read out a memorandum that listed a number of demands related to the recent happenings at UKZN. Some of the demands were for the end of force used against unarmed students and the immediate removal of Mi7 guards from campus. The student said “We cannot continue living in an environment where our constitutionally entrenched rights are being violated by the people entrusted to enforce them.” The memorandum was handed over to the cluster commander of SAPS for the region and the university was given until the end of yesterday to respond.
