Walter Sisulu University protests: 'Despite management's claims, the deceased was a student' – Sasco

CapeTalk and 702's Africa Melane interviews Alungile Kamtshe, President of the South African Student Congress (Sasco).

Listen below:

The Higher Education Department claims that the individual who died in Monday's campus shooting was not a student.

The deceased was also not a staff member of Walter Sisulu University, they say.

RELATED: Higher Education Dept's Nkabane condemns violent protests at WSU, calls for report into demonstration

Sasco president Kamtshe says students had been protesting due to poor living conditions in campus residences.

He explains that after repeated complaints were ignored by university management, the students resorted to demonstrating.

It was during this protest that the residence manager allegedly opened fire on the group.

However, Kamtshe disputes the Department’s statement, asserting that, according to reports received by Sasco, the deceased was, in fact, a student.

He adds that at 10 am today, students led by the SRC will march to the Mthatha police station to demand the arrest of the residence manager.

"We've been informed that contrary to what the management may try to provide to the public as some kind of a cover-up, that the person deceased might not have been a student, the person deceased was of course fighting for conditions because that was indeed a student, according to the reports we've received." 

- Alungile Kamtshe, President – South African Student Congress

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