Johannesburg - One of our IOL journalists, 22-year-old Rudzani Matshili, was shot at the University of Witwatersrand on Tuesday while she was on duty, covering the #FeesMustFall protest. Here, she talks about how the incident unfolded.
Did you expect the situation to get out of hand?
Yes, I was expecting the situation to get out of hand. Even when I went there in the morning, shortly after the police had clashed with students but calm had temporarily been restored, it was tense.
I cannot imagine what it must be like to be shot, even by a rubber bullet.
I was petrified. I only realised about 10 minutes later that I had been shot and I wasn’t feeling any pain. After seeing blood... that was when I realised that I had been shot.
Describe the scene for us. What was it like?
I would describe the scene as rough and gruesome. Initially, I wasn’t trying to run for my life because when students started throwing stones at the police, I was still talking to the police spokesperson, trying to find out how many cops were injured earlier. So, I just stood there with him, screaming, “OMG, OMG!” and there was a point where I fell but stood up again. I was hiding behind him pulling him by his clothes.
Matshili has received medical attention and is out of the field recovering. Here are some of the videos she managed to capture while on duty:
Stop the violence #Fees2017 #IOL @IOL pic.twitter.com/G1Vflzq17P
— IG: MojoIOL (@MojoIOL) October 4, 2016
Current situation at #Wits #Fees2017 #IOL pic.twitter.com/MWnzc0vMFQ
— IG: MojoIOL (@MojoIOL) October 4, 2016
#Wits students throwing rocks at the police in retaliation for several rounds of rubber bullet fired #Fees2017 @IOL pic.twitter.com/Zoi6FaqTyo
— IG: MojoIOL (@MojoIOL) October 4, 2016
IOL MOJO