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After spending three nights behind bars Innocent Khumalo, the University of Johannesburg’s Soweto Campus Student Representative Council Chair, was finally released on a warning yesterday at the Lenasia Magistrates Court.
Khumalo spent an extra two days in prison because the court had found that he had an outstanding case against, which was eventually dropped.
“The enemy is not happy with us today. The only way they will keep us down is if they kill us,” said Khumalo.
“We are not giving up on and have not been deterred, we will meet with our structures and plan a way forward.”
On Tuesday this week 17 students, including Khumalo, were arrested at UJ’s Soweto campus after students tried to barricade the main entrance in an attempt to shut down the campus.
By mid morning tensions between private security (whom the students refer to as bouncers) and students reached a critical state as police were called in to break the two groups up.
The students were allegedly hand-picked by police and spent the night at the Kliptown police station.
Morongoa Seleka, who is representing the students on behalf of the Black Lawyers Association, told City Press that he had tried to get the students released but because of the confusion with regards to their charges and the change of shifts at the police station this became impossible.
“The students are still behind bars for reasons that cannot be explained and really that is irrational,” Seleka said on Tuesday evening.
On Wednesday morning the 16 students were released with a warning after being charged with contravening a court order. Most of the students were a little shaken after the ordeal of been kept overnight.
One student (who declined to be named) said that this was his first time in a prison cell and that all he wanted to do was to go back to his studies.
“Are we hardened criminals? No we are not! We are just fighting for the right to free quality education,” he said.
The university management said that they had been in consultation with the UJSRC and other student leaders throughout August and September and that this week the “academic programme continued as scheduled with minimal disruptions.”
“The latest meeting was held on Friday 7 October. This meeting was characterised by a climate of open, robust and constructive debate.”
However, Khumalo told City Press that the Soweto Campus SRC was not present at that meeting and could not comment on what was discussed.
Asked whether the university would continue to have private security and police patrolling the campus next week, the university responded that “it is not ideal to have private security and police based on campuses, however without additional security measures we will not be able to fulfil our responsibilities to secure life, property and the non-interruption of our academic programme.”
Since Wednesday there has been relative calm at the Soweto campus.
