Students and police clash at Nelson Mandela University as protest turns violent

On Thursday, 12 February, hundreds of students at Gqeberha’s Nelson Mandela University blocked access roads with burning tyres and barricades at the North and South campuses. The protest centred on accommodation shortages, transport challenges and registration delays. It came just days after Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Higher Education conducted an oversight visit to the institution.

Tensions escalated when members of the SA Police Service and private security fired rubber bullets at protesting students, injuring several. Students responded by throwing stones at police and security officers.

Students told Daily Maverick that the protest followed multiple attempts to engage with the university over unresolved concerns, including a shortage of student accommodation, delays in funding decisions, registration backlogs and transport services.

Videos and images seen by Daily Maverick show students burning tyres and singing while members of the SAPS and private security fire rubber bullets. In the footage, students can be seen retaliating by throwing stones.

A student leader, Olwethu Gwelana, said: “We woke up in the morning, and the students burnt tyres. The police said they don’t mind us protesting, but when we burn tyres, it’s going to be a strike, and it’s violence. So the students switched off the [fire] in these tyres. Students sat down and lifted their hands to show that we are not fighting. They sprayed students with brown water.”

One video captures the moment a student is removed from a police van after being fired at with a rubber bullet and locked inside until fellow students demanded that he be released.

Gwelana said the university had taken too long to respond to students’ concerns, adding that academic activities could not proceed smoothly if students were unable to register.

“What has transpired here is a build-up of issues. These issues have been raised with the university, and all procedures have been followed. The first issue that was raised around the 12th of January was that the admission process is exclusionary to people coming from Quintile 1 to Quintile 3, particularly people coming from rural areas.”

Economic Freedom Fighters chairperson at the Second Avenue campus, Meluleki Ncane, said students were struggling with accommodation and transport.

“There are issues of accommodation for unfunded students. There is no plan for them. The majority of first years have not registered. We wanted the registration process to be extended until April,” said Ncane.

The university confirmed that the entrances to the North and South campuses were blocked by about 30 students.

“The group obstructed access with burning tyres and barricades, seeking to prevent students and staff from attending classes and reporting for duty. Reports of intimidation directed at members of the university community have also been received. Such actions are unacceptable and inconsistent with the university’s values and principles,” said the university.

It added that management had been actively engaging with the Students’ Representative Council (SRC). “Matters previously raised as demands have been addressed, and outstanding issues remain under consideration through established engagement processes involving the SRC,” said the university.

Daily Maverick sent the following questions to NMU spokesperson Zandile Ngwendu:

1. Students told Daily Maverick that many first-years are experiencing challenges with registration due to financial clearance delays and a lack of accommodation. Is NMU working on clearing students, and on what grounds are students excluded?
2. Is there enough accommodation at NMU, as students are said to have been sleeping in halls on campus?
3. There is high-visibility security, and rubber bullets have been fired. What necessitated the call for this security?
4. Students have reported issues with shuttle services. What is NMU’s take on this, and is the institution considering increasing the shuttle services?

Ngwendu responded that the university was not in a position to respond to specifics at this stage. DM