DURBAN - The EFF Student Command (EFFSC) is furious with the alleged constant victimisation, intimidation, and concomitant action demonstrated by the private security company used by the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN).
Student Thanduyise Ngobese was allegedly shot by a Fidelity Security guard and subsequently lost his left eye because of the injury.
EFFSC national spokesperson Xola Mehlomakulu condemned the incident and said it was shocking that the security company was still contracted by the university.
It is alleged that on February 15, Ngobese was among students who took part in a demonstration for financial clearance, the scrapping of permits to gain access to the institution, and the return of staff to work on campus.
In a confrontation between private security and students, Ngobese was allegedly shot in the eye by a Fidelity security guard and was taken to hospital and subsequently had to have his left eye removed this week.
Ngobese is pursuing a Bachelor of Commerce Honours in Small Business Management at the Pietermaritzburg campus.
Mehlomakulu said Fidelity’s presence put students’ lives at risk.
“We are very infuriated by the way the university executive is handling the matter of safety. Fidelity was hired to protect students; however, it is resorting to violent forms of engagement. The security company targets students, shoots them, and causes permanent physical injuries on unarmed students,” he said.
“We demand the immediate suspension of the security supervisor as his orders were, inter alia, the reason students were hospitalised. We also call for the institution to immediately terminate its contract with Fidelity security company,” said Mehlomakulu.
He further called on the institution to pay all medical costs injured students had incurred.
Fidelity Services Group CEO Wahl Bartmann said it was important to note that there were several parties involved in the exchange of gunfire on the site on the day of the incident, and unfortunately the students’ claim had not been proven.
“We take the matter very seriously. A legal process will have to be followed to positively link Fidelity to the specific bullet that caused the damages to the student’s eye.
“At this point, we cannot take accountability for the accident. We do appreciate the trauma the student has undergone and extend our well wishes to him for a speedy recovery,” Bartmann said.
UKZN Executive Director Corporate Relations, Normah Zondo, said the matter was not reported to Campus Health and Risk Management Services officials and added that the institution only received the report from EFFSC on Saturday.
“The university views these allegations in a very serious light and has decided to launch an investigation. The university does not wish to pre-empt the outcomes of the investigation and will therefore only comment fully once all facts have been established,” said Zondo.
Police Spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Nqobile Gwala said the incident had not been reported to Umbilo police station.
Daily News