Cape Town - Staff at the embattled University of Fort Hare (UFH) have come out to express their frustration and fear, saying they were “immensely affected” by the assassination attempt on vice-chancellor Professor Sakhela Buhlungu, which saw his executive protection officer killed.
Minister of Higher Education Blade Nzimande and Police Minister Bheki Cele’s visit on Wednesday to address the community was long overdue, they said.
They want to hear immediate measures that will guarantee security and a safe academic year.
Buhlungu's bodyguard Mboneli Veseli was killed in a hail of bullets outside the professor’s Alice campus residence last Friday. Nzimande and Cele will also visit the Vesele family residence.
Nzimande's spokesperson, Ishmael Mnisi, said the minister intended to consult various stakeholders, which includes the university council, executive management, trade unions and the SRC in the light of the seriousness of the situation.
“Minister Nzimande, joined by the Minister of Police, Mr Bheki Cele, will announce the outcome of the consultations and share critical information on the investigations which are currently underway.”
A professor at the university who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation told the Cape Times that it was always scary on campus for him after the first attempt on Buhlungu life.
“Things escalated after Petrus Roets, the fleet manager, was shot and killed. It was like a scene from the movies and after that security was heightened around campus. We struggled to access the VC due to safety issues and you sensed that something like this recent incident might happen again at any given time.
“The first scenario took us by surprise, but this has affected us so badly.
“The way this happened is traumatic and terrifying. Mr Vesele was loyal and died in the line of duty for a cause. If any one of us as the staff would have been near the scene I’m sure we would have been part of the carnage,” he said.
He explained that the entire community was very concerned and felt unsafe.
“The years Mr Buhlungu has been at the university have been the best years ever that the university has experienced, we have seen an unqualified and clean audit opinion after years if not decades of not.
“We started enjoying coming to work and our rankings started to do well.
“Staff strikes have also been minimal but there is this dark cloud because of people who want to see the university bleeding.
“Unfortunately we cannot return to the dark days and the VC is the best hope. Politics and business people or tenderpreneurs have been milking the system.
“The coming of the ministers must be to restore hope, not give promises but announce implementations. Give us assurance of protection, especially for those in management, and allow the VC to finish his term and speed up the investigation. Also, save the academic year because there are uncertainties now,’” he said.
Professor Sioux McKenna, Director of the Centre for Postgraduate Studies at the university has started a petition to “Protect Professor Buhlungu and Save the University of Fort Hare”.
The petition had garnered nearly 1 000 signatures by on Tuesday.
McKenna said the latest threats on life were a desperate bid to stop Buhlungu and the Special Investigation Unit (SIU).
“We call on the President of South Africa to provide professor Buhlungu with the visible protection he needs to eliminate the rot.
“Pervasive corruption is sadly evident across the higher education sector.
“Professor Buhlungu’s battle is on behalf of the whole sector, all students and future students,” said McKenna.
Fort Hare’s Chancellor, Advocate Dumisa Ntsebeza, responded to the petition, saying: “I cannot stand by while murderers rule the roost.
“It is unacceptable.” He said the death threats on Buhlungu would not make him quit or frustrate him into stopping the fight against corruption.
Meanwhile the National Research Foundation (NRF) has condemned the attack.
“The NRF, as a funder of UFH research, researchers and many of its postgraduate students, pledges its support to the university and for the ongoing investigation by the police,” said NRF chief executive officer Professor Fulufhelo Nelwamondo.
“I encourage the vice-chancellors of all our universities to take up Minister Blade Nzimande’s invitation to engage with his department regarding all security-related issues that threaten the ability of higher education institutions to perform their duties in creating a conducive environment for knowledge production and innovation in support of a better society for all.
“We extend our condolences to the Vesele family, friends and his colleagues at UFH,” said Nelwamondo.
Cape Times