The Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Dr Blade Nzimande, strongly condemns the torching of the Oval student residence at the Westville campus of the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) on Monday, 12th October 2020.
Minister Nzimande calls on the university management, working together with law enforcement agencies, to swiftly bring those responsible for this shameful and outrageous act to book.
“The destruction of university property is a criminal offence and all those engaging in such acts must be arrested and face the full might of the law”.
Minister Nzimande further calls upon the university community, both students and staff, to isolate, identify and expose these criminals who continue to vandalise the university property. They have a duty to provide any relevant information to the law enforcement authorities so that the culprits can be brought to book.
“These are criminals who must be totally removed from our institutions, they do not deserved to be within our institutions but belongs to jail,” emphasised the Minister.
Minister Nzimade said that whilst government is continuing to invest billions of rands in improving the infrastructure of our Post School Education and Training institution, the university community must ensure that it preserves and protects the current existing infrastructure.
The Minister calls on university Vice-Chancellors to tighten up security measures against acts of criminality and protecting the freedoms and lives of all our staff and students.
Enquiries:
Ishmael Mnisi
Cell: 066 037 8859
