Durban - The TUT students arrested for their alleged involvement in the stabbing of a fellow student have brought shame upon their home province of KwaZulu-Natal, premier Senzo Mchunu said on Tuesday.
“These students have brought shame not only to their parents, but to the province and the people of KwaZulu-Natal as a whole,” the premier said in a statement.
“This is a slap in the face of parents who have sacrificed everything they have in order to ensure that these students acquire the necessary skills and knowledge.”
The student, identified as first-year student SB Masuku, was stabbed to death on the Tshwane University of Technology's (TUT) Soshanguve campus at a women's residence on Saturday night.
TUT spokeswoman Willa de Ruyter said on Monday that Masuku was studying language practice.
Another student was in a critical condition in the George Mukhari Hospital, she said.
Gauteng police on Monday said the three students were arrested on Sunday.
Warrant Officer Matthews Nkoadi said the men were aged between 21 and 22.
“They've been charged with murder, attempted murder, and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm,” said Nkoadi.
Mchunu condemned Masuku's murder, and sent his condolences to his family.
“I have been in contact with the KZN police commissioner Lt-Gen Mamunye Ngobeni with a view of getting a report, as it has been alleged the students belong to rival groups from Phongola, Vryheid, and Nongoma.”
He said today's youth were highly privileged, having lived so soon after the end of apartheid and seen the dawn of democracy, lived during the days of Madiba, and through a once-in-a-lifetime event such as the 2010 World Cup.
They were privileged to have also inherited the freedom which was produced by intellectuals and thinkers of note.
“We therefore expect the students of today to seize opportunities offered by the new dispensation,” Mchunu said.
Sapa