Members of Julius Malema’s Economic Freedom Fighters political party, said to be carrying guns, allegedly assaulted students at the University of South Africa’s main campus in Pretoria yesterday.
Solly Nkuna, chairman of the SA Students’ Congress at Unisa, said chaos erupted at the entrance to the ZK Mathews Hall as Malema was speaking to his supporters.
“Sasco members were singing as Malema spoke and this was disruptive, resulting in an altercation between EFF and Sasco members. Several people were assaulted and three EFF members had guns which they pointed at people with an intention to intimidate them to stop singing,” he said.
Nkuna said Student Representative Council president Brian Mphahlele and several National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union members were among those assaulted.
He said at least one person was taken to hospital and others were treated on the campus.
“We had a problem when we learned that students were forced out of study centres to listen to Malema. We also could not understand why Malema was on campus when the permission for him to be there was denied,” Nkuna said.
He said EFF members climbed over a fence when security guards refused them entry to the campus.
Unisa spokesman Martin Ramotshela said that Malema had been invited by the Unisa Academic and Professional Staff Association to a discussion on land reform but permission for the discussion was withdrawn on Wednesday.
Malema denied that there had been an altercation. – timeslive.co.za