While University of Western Cape student representative council (SRC) president Asanda Bleki remains in custody at Goodwood Prison, his political opponents have welcomed his continued imprisonment, calling him a “violent”, lawless anarchist.
The ANC-aligned SA Students Congress(Sasco) said Bleki was a “johnny-come-lately” in the struggle for “free quality and decolonised education”.
Bleki’s arrest last week stemmed from a charge that he had contravened a protection order and was suspected of public violence.
In 2015 Bleki was one of several students arrested during the #FeesMustFall protests.
Bleki’s Pan Africanist Student Movement of Azania last year took 11 of the 12 seats in UWC’s SRC elections in which students rejected the ANC-aligned Sasco.
But Sasco provincial chairperson Buyile Matiwane said his organisation remained the vanguard of students and workers, and had consistently spearheaded transformation and student struggles across SA.
Former UWC student Songezo Mazizi said Bleki’s arrest and imprisonment was “all just politics”.
“It’s been a year now of these court cases. I’m interdicted from coming on to the campus so I have had to drop out of university,” said Mazizi.
He will be appearing in the Bellville Magistrate’s Court this morning, charged with public violence and assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm for an incident this year at Unibell train station.
Mazizi said the SRC had taken up the issue of 146 outsourced workers fired at the university.
UWC spokesperson Luthando Tyhalibongo said Bleki’s arrest had no link to the conduct of private security officers on campus.
A staff member claimed the conduct of private guards had been reported to the statutory body which oversees the security industry.
Tyhalibongo said: “We are not aware of any investigation by the Private Security Regulatory Association and have not been contacted by this association.”
He said some students writing exams in June required medical assistance because of violence, and said Bleki was being investigated for his possible part in the chaos.
Tyhalibgongo said UWC was not a party to dismissal of the outsourced security staff, which has been a focal point of student solidarity protests.
“The university is not a party to the Securitas dismissal arbitration at the CCMA,” he said.