EFF KZN students take to the streets in 'justice for Mlungisi' march

Published Aug 5, 2019

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Durban – Durban University of Technology (DUT) students and others, led by the Economic Freedom Fighters Student Command, are expected to march to the city’s town hall on Monday to “demand justice” for slain student Mlungisi Madonsela.

August 5 marks six months since DUT student Madonsela was shot during an altercation with security guards contracted to the institution. He later died in hospital.  

“We will be marching from Currie’s Fountain and when we reach city hall we will hand over a memorandum of demands to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) and provincial commissioner of police,” Sandiso Buthelezi, the convenor of the march, told African News Agency (ANA) on Sunday evening.

“We want justice for our students and we want justice for Mlungisi Madonsela. The NPA has said they are not going to prosecute anyone because they are short of evidence.

“We formed a committee a long time ago that decided we would fight for justice for Mlungisi, which is why we convened the march. All of those involved in the killing must take responsibility,” said Buthelezi.

In the days preceding Madonsela’s February 5 death, students at various tertiary education institutions throughout KwaZulu-Natal embarked on a “total shutdown” of campuses.

They had been protesting against inadequate or no accommodation and problems with access to student funding. Sporadic and often violent and destructive protests about the same issues have continued since then.

Madonsela was part of a group of about 30 students – armed with bricks and rocks - that tried to storm a DUT administration building to gain access to the institution during the protests when he was shot.

DUT staff members were also severely injured during the violence, with one female employee – an SRC administrator - having to be hospitalised after her nose was broken when she was hit in the face by a brick hurled by one of the protesting students. A staff member’s spouse was also seriously injured during the incident.

Just weeks after Madonsela’s death, DUT declared February 5 a day of commemoration for the student, set to start in 2020.

Buthelezi told ANA that churches, civic organisations, and students from other campuses had indicated they would be joining the march. “It cannot be correct to kill a student. We just want justice,” he said.  

African News Agency/ANA

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