‘I’m burying my child without money’ — NMU student’s death highlights wider university fatalities

Daily Maverick spoke to Sixolile Mboza, the mother of Sesethu Enhle Mboza, a second-year Nelson Mandela University (NMU) Bachelor of Arts student from Mthatha, who is said to have taken her own life at her off-campus residence in Gqeberha on Friday, 31 October 2025, after she was allegedly raped by a fellow student on 26 September.

Detailing the events that led to Sesethu’s death, her mother said that Sesethu called her after the incident. She said she advised her daughter to rush to hospital. However, Sesethu was sent home and told she had to open a case with the police. After opening a case, the perpetrator was arrested on 28 September, but released on bail on 10 October.

“She called me saying that the perpetrator is out of jail, and that she saw him in a mall. My daughter froze and had a panic attack. That’s when I told her to come home. I wrote an email to the [university]. I requested that she write her exams online, but they said they do not do that,” said Mboza.

She said she went to NMU after Sesethu died. “I was thankful to social media because this was trending. They (NMU) did not follow due procedure because I assumed the moment I wrote them an email, they would have contacted a relevant party to help, but my daughter kept seeing the perpetrator at school,” said Mboza.

“I am burying my child this Saturday, and I don’t even have money. Church people are coming, and I’m struggling. I don’t have money for scones, drinks and tea. The funeral policy will not pay because I struggled to pay my premiums… There’s high negligence in this case, and it is disturbing my spirit,” said Mboza.

She said that NMU had made a R37,000 commitment to help and that so far she had received R25,000. The balance of R12,000 is said to be coming soon.

Responding to a Daily Maverick query, NMU spokesperson Zandile Ngwendu said, “Institutional policy on the management of loss of student life guides the provision of support to bereaved families. The university is in direct contact with the family in that regard.” Ngwendu added: “The university has instituted a fact-finding inquiry into the circumstances leading up to and surrounding Ms Mboza’s passing.”

Daily Maverick asked whether the university knew of the rape allegations and how they assisted Sesethu Mboza after the alleged incident, including student trauma support.

Ngwendu said that counselling and other psychosocial support services were available to students on an ongoing basis, with emergency trauma counselling and necessary psychosocial support available, particularly to those affected by serious incidents. 

On the responsibility to ensure student safety in off-campus residences, Ngwendu said that the university’s policy for the accreditation and provision of off-campus student accommodation included efficient security systems at privately owned off-campus residences, among the minimum requirements for those that the institution accredited.

Sesethu Mboza is one of five students who have died at NMU in the past weeks.

Lihle Shenxane and Aphile Jozana got into difficulties while swimming at Victoria Bay. Shenxane drowned and Jozana later died in hospital. The wave of fatalities continued with the violent death of Minenhle Hlongwane, who was stabbed during a robbery at a private off-campus residence. Another student, Sikhunjulwe Nkewana, was found dead in his room.

Student Representative Council (SRC) president Lathitha Mbuzwana said, “It is disheartening to note that an institution like NMU has now turned into a burial site or a mortuary. It is also sad that parents send their children here to graduate and change the circumstances of their homes, but they return home in coffins,” said Mbuzwana.

“We have tried to speak to local authorities and the school to fight crime because most of our students reside off-campus… In some cases, you find in the residences that there are no CCTV cameras or they do not work; it was the same with the student (Hlongwane) stabbed to death; there was no footage,” said Mbuzwana.

Minenhle Hlongwane died at her residence in 156 Admirality Way, Summerstrand, a NSFAS-accredited residence, when a male suspect broke in and stabbed her, stealing electronic devices. 

South African Police Service Detective Sergeant Rudwaan Baatijes told Daily Maverick that the investigation continued. No arrests had been made. He said that there were no working cameras at the residence.

On Tuesday, 11 November, NMU students held a protest over sexual harassment at the campus, highlighting an incident involving an SRC member from the Democratic Alliance Students Organisation (Daso) whose membership was terminated after allegations that he raped a fellow student. Daso confirmed that “the individual involved has had their Daso membership terminated with immediate effect”.

Students across South African universities have been grappling with incidents of gender-based violence, assault cases and student trauma. On 29 August, a first-year BA student from the University of Venda died after being stabbed multiple times. The perpetrator is alleged to be her boyfriend, a second-year Bachelor of Environmental Sciences student.

In October 2025, a Cape Peninsula University of Technology student was allegedly raped at the Catsville residence by a fellow student, who was later granted bail of R5,000. This case was postponed to 26 February 2026. 

Earlier this year, Daily Maverick reported that in Mthatha, Walter Sisulu University student Sisonke Mbolekwa was shot and killed by a residence manager, Manelisi Mampane, who was later given bail of R10,000. 

Read more: Mthatha campus erupts as students rally against bail for accused in deadly protest shooting.

Wits SRC member alleged rape case.

Meanwhile, students from the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) have protested after an SRC member was alleged to have raped a fellow student.

On Tuesday, 11 November, university spokesperson Shirona Patel confirmed to Daily Maverick that “the alleged perpetrator has been suspended and is not allowed to access the university’s precincts whilst the matter is being investigated. I can confirm that the alleged perpetrator is a member of the incoming SRC”. 

She said the university’s Gender Equity Office was dealing with the complaint and would provide full support to the victim, in line with university protocols.

Wits SRC president Gilbert Nchabeleng confirmed to Daily Maverick that the student had been suspended from the SRC. “We placed him under immediate suspension. Although we might not have all the institutional powers to then act on behalf of the university, we … treated this matter with the urgency it deserves, simply because it involves the most sensitive issues,” said Nchabeleng.

Gender equality in university policies 

Daily Maverick spoke to Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) chairperson advocate Nthabiseng Sepanya-Mogale. A commission investigation into how universities handle sexual harassment issues has revealed that higher learning institutions lack the skills to respond to sexual harassment cases involving students, particularly instances involving lecturers.

Read more: Sexual harassment cases at SA universities often fall through cracks, warns gender equality body

“We have seen the attitude of universities where lecturers get away with a lot, and it is the student who gets told to move [on] from that situation. When lecturers are involved, it’s very difficult to suspend them; their rights are usually overemphasised over the rights of their victims. So you have students who actually go and write exams with the invigilator being this person who has actually done this to them,” said Mogale.

She said, “The other thing that we find is that universities lack the necessary measures to monitor predators because sometimes they jump from institution to institution, and nobody ever says, ‘Why did you leave that institution?’ Or there is no register where universities are supposed to, as a collective, say we are not going to tolerate predators, and therefore have a register that is available to all the universities.”

When the commission appeared before Parliament in July 2025, CGE head of legal services Tsietsi Shuping said: “In many instances, victims do not report due to fear of stigma, retaliation or uncertainty about institutional procedures. Many institutions have policy gaps on this issue. For instance, many universities lack comprehensive policies that directly address GBV; instead, focusing only on sexual harassment.

“There is often a gap between policy and practice, with poor enforcement of existing regulations. Research has also shown that universities sometimes downplay incidents of GBV to protect their reputation.”

Project manager at the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag), Krystle Kemp, said the group received numerous calls from students who faced difficult issues, such as suicidal thoughts and academic stress.

“Last year, between January and December, we received over 55,000 calls from tertiary students in need. Depression was the most common reason for calls at 16%. Anxiety was next at 15%. Then, academic stress was also 15%. Family issues featured at 13%. Suicide also featured at 13%. So this doesn’t necessarily mean that the student is suicidal. It can also mean that they’re facing suicidal ideation,” said Kemp.

Daily Maverick has sent questions to NSFAS regarding 156 Admirality Way, Summerstrand, an NSFAS-accredited residence. The article will be updated once the response comes. DM