Durban - A Durban University of Technology (DUT) student is on life support in hospital after he was assaulted and stabbed at the institution on Monday.
Eighteen-year-old Sandile Ndlovu, a first year industrial engineering student, was "stabbed and his skull cracked open" in one of DUT’s lecture halls, said Tshepho Mokoena, a spokesperson for the young man’s distraught family.
Speaking to African News Agency (ANA) on Thursday morning, a shaken Mokoena said Ndlovu was in a critical condition at City Hospital, having sustained brain damage.
The family had been advised to consider ending life support, he said.
“We are praying and hoping. We don’t know exactly what happened as DUT has not made it clear, but we were told that Sandile was grabbed and his head slammed against the wall, and then stabbed in the head. Whoever did it also stole his cellphone and laptop.”
Mokoena said the young man’s father, Sibusiso Ndlovu, had driven down from the family home in Nelspruit and his mother was flown down.
DUT had booked them into a City Lodge.
The family had been informed that DUT’s head of security had been suspended on Tuesday, said Mokoena, although ANA was unable to verify this.
Picture: Supplied
Calls made by ANA to DUT’s communications’ staff at the institution went unanswered early on Thursday morning.
The incident had been reported to the police and an investigating officer assigned, said Mokoena.
DUT had “no answers” for the family, said Mokoena, and had told them that there was no video footage of the incident.
“The institution is giving the investigation officer the run around and as a result he cannot perform his duties in order to investigate the incident.
“The institution isn’t helpful with information about what could have happened or any answers to the questions the family has,” said Mokoena.
Police did not respond to requests for comment.