In a shocking disclosure, the Eastern Cape health department says live ammunition has been fired at students protesting over NSFAS allowances.
Several students are still recovering in hospitals in Alice and Mthatha in the wake of heavy clashes with police and security companies.
Some are patients at Alice’s Victoria Hospital following chaos that unfolded at the University of Fort Hare's (UFH) Alice campus on Tuesday, where the students were protesting over allowances.
In Mthatha, live rounds were fired to disperse protesting King Sabata Dalindyebo FET college students at its Zimbane campus on Wednesday last week.
Health MEC Sindiswa Gomba’s spokesperson, Judy Ngoloyi, said five students had been admitted to the Nelson Mandela Academic hospital after the FET college uprising.
“Two of them [in Mthatha] were shot at with live ammunition. Three were shot at with rubber bullets,” Ngoloyi said.
The use of live rounds at both campuses has been vehemently denied by both police and security companies.
A UFH student said a bullet pierced her shoulder blade and exited when police opened fire during Tuesday’s protest.
Speaking to the Dispatch from her hospital bed on Wednesday, 26-year-old fourth year agriculture student Yonela Sonakile said she had not even been part of the protesting students when she was shot on Tuesday.
“I was on my way to my room when I felt a rushing pain in my shoulder. I fell to the ground, and saw people were running. I tried to get up but after taking a few steps, blood started gushing from my mouth and nose and I collapsed,” she said.
The student, who was on a drip, pointed to where she had been shot.
“The bullet hit me in the back [right] shoulder and came out the front. There is no way a rubber bullet can do this.”
When asked about the allegations by the UFH students, police spokesperson Captain Khaya Tonjeni said: “We don’t have any knowledge, but if anyone comes forward they will be investigated [sic].”
Tonjeni said only rubber bullets had been used to disperse the protesting students.
Provincial health spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo said five UFH patients had been treated for gunshot wounds at Victoria Hospital.
Kupelo said three had been discharged and two remained in hospital in a stable condition.
When asked about the extent of the wounds and what type of bullets had been used, he said: “It is not our scope to determine the type of the bullet and we are not at liberty to discuss a patient’s clinical details.”
Although the King Sabata Dalindyebo FET college protest occurred more than a week ago, students were still shaken.
However, Tyelovuyo Buhlungu, the owner of campus security company Tyeks Security which operates at King Sabata Dalindyebo FET college, insists they had never used live ammunition.
“That is not true. Only rubber bullets were used and the police must investigate that live ammunition was used,” he said.
“The contract we have with the college says we must protect their assets and yesterday [Tuesday] we protected staff members who were locked out by the students. If it was not for us, the school would have been burnt to the ground.”
Likho Nyolukana, a business management student at the FET college, said he had been shot twice in his left leg.
He said his biggest fear was of the leg having to be amputated. “I am planning on taking action against the company [Tyeks].”
Yongama Dlabantu, 26, a business management N6 level student, said he had been shot in his right knee, buttocks, stomach, arm and the right side of his ribcage.
“I was shot at with live ammunition. Some pieces [of the bullet] are still lodged in my knee and arm,” he said.
“It’s not legal anywhere to shoot at protesters with live ammunition. We were exercising our right to strike and the school must answer us on our grievances.”
The SRC chairperson at the campus, Lungisani Malandela, said they needed management to give them time-frames of when they would attend to their grievances, including NSFAS allowances, placements and termination of the Tyeks contract.
The college's communications and marketing manager, Zigqibo Kahla, said the students had petrol-bombed a guardroom and office before the security guards had acted.
When the Dispatch arrived at the UFH Alice campus, students boasted about a cow they had just slaughtered on campus.
When a police nyala attempted to enter the campus, students threw stones and police fought back, firing rubber bullets, stun grenades and pepper spray.
“This behaviour is disappointing because there is a scheduled meeting with student leaders on Friday to give feedback on authentic issues,” the university’s stakeholder relations manager, Lizo Phit, said.
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