If criminality at the University of Fort Hare is allowed to flourish and run amok, the institution might have to shut down, vice-chancellor Prof Sakhela Buhlungu has warned.
In an attempt to get to the bottom of a wave of criminal activities plaguing the university, a high-powered delegation from the institution laid bare safety concerns to President Cyril Ramaphosa in the wake of staff killings and attempted assassinations.
The delegation, led by chancellor advocate Dumisa Ntsebeza SC, met Ramaphosa in Cape Town on Thursday.
The council deputy chair, Dr Siphokazi Koyan, Buhlungu and the deputy vice-chancellor for teaching and learning Prof Renuka Vithal were among the bigwigs who took part in the meeting.
UFH’s acting ICT director, Mfundo Scott, was also present after cyber espionage crimes were recently uncovered.
After Buhlungu’s bodyguard Mboneli Vesele was shot dead in a suspected failed assassination of the vice-chancellor in January, Buhlungu spoke openly about safety and security fears amid a graft probe at the university.
He said at the time that the matter needed Ramaphosa’s attention.
Speaking to the Dispatch on Friday, Buhlungu said if the media let go of the Fort Hare story, it would lead to the start of the capture of higher education itself.
“It gives you a classic example of how institutions are captured,” he said.
“I’m not talking about your regular state institutions, I’m talking about publicly funded institutions that are more autonomous from the regular state.”
The delegation did not only bring the issue of assassinations to the attention of the president, but also theft and academic fraud.
“I’ve raised these issues prominently,” Buhlungu said.
“The meeting was about safety for our 9,000 students on campus, 600 or 700 of our staff members and members of the community of Alice [Dikeni] at large.
“Policing is ineffective, virtually inoperative in the area.
“We have been filing cases of various kinds since 2017 and none of them has been moving, someone is sitting on them.
“We raised these issues, these are just not issues of criminals and murder and attempted murder, these are issues of theft, GBV.
“All sorts of issues that we raised that never came from that police station [Dikeni] and from East London for that matter.”
Issues raised with Ramaphosa include shootings at the homes of the manager in the office of the VC, Buhlungu, Vithal, the killing of the university’s fleet and transport manager, Petrus Roets, who was gunned down in a suspected hit in East London in May 2022, and Vesele’s murder.
“Those are the issues we put before the president and gave illustrations so that he can have first-hand understanding,” Buhlungu said.
Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, confirmed the president had received a briefing on matters of safety and security affecting the higher education sector.
“The briefing was conducted by higher education, science and technology minister Blade Nzimande, alongside the leadership of Fort Hare University, which included Prof Buhlungu,” Magwenya said.
“President Ramaphosa was encouraged by the impetus that’s been added to criminal investigations related to the University of Fort Hare.
“Obviously, more still needs to be done to ensure the protection of staff and students at all tertiary institutions, including Fort Hare.
“In this regard, the president committed to further discussions with the security cluster.
“President Ramaphosa expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Prof Buhlungu, the rest of the leadership of the university and staff for their commitment in fighting against corruption at the institution and for their effort in returning Fort Hare back to its glory days.
“The president noted with great concern the level of criminality in and around Fort Hare that has led to deaths of personnel and ongoing intimidation of staff.”
Buhlungu said a task team was formed to probe the incidents at the university.
He said some progress had been registered after the task team was set up.
They are coming from various law enforcement disciplines and we’ve seen them on the ground, on campus, everywhere, they are out and about
“They are coming from various law enforcement disciplines and we’ve seen them on the ground, on campus, everywhere, they are out and about,” Buhlungu said.
“In some cases they are going back to people to obtain or beef up statements that were rather shoddy and inadequate.
“That’s one demonstrable way in which the intervention by the president has happened.”
One area of disappointment, Buhlungu said, was that there had been no arrests.
Buhlungu lamented how “incompetent” police were — specifically in the Dikeni area.
“They’re basically out of their depth,” he said.
“There’s been instances of abuse of policing resources to pursue people for reasons other than law and order.”
Buhlungu said the meeting with Ramaphosa did not bring the end to the UFH story.
“This only the beginning,” he said.
“Now that we’ve raised these issues with the president, nobody has an excuse to say ‘I didn’t know’.”
Police spokesperson Brigadier Thembinkosi Kinana said police were investigating all cases involving the university.
“Unfortunately, we are not at liberty to pronounce on the intricacies of the investigation,” he said.
“At an appropriate time, the affected will receive information on the outcome of all the investigations currently under way.”
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