In February 2023, Ntokozo Xaba, a student at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) was brutally murdered. While the alleged murderer has been apprehended by the police and has appeared in court, a student union is calling on authorities to bring the killer to book.
The South African Union Students (SAUS) says the brutal murder of Xaba was a Gender-Based Violence crime. The union also argues that the TUT must be held accountable for the murder of Xaba and labelled the institution as 'co-conspirators’.
SAUS says TUT failed to protect the life of its student and did not have CCTV cameras installed at the residence which could have aided law enforcement in their investigation
They [TUT] are in fact ‘co-conspirators’ in the murder of the student, we make this assertion, based on the reports that the residence firstly couldn’t protect the life of one of its students, secondly, that post the murder of the student, it further was revealed that the university residence did not have CCTV cameras installed at the residence
The union says issues around safety at the institution have been raised in the. This is as SAUS agitate for safe and secure accommodation for students attending TUT.
SAUS called on universities and government to work expeditiously at providing safe student accommodation that meets the minimum safety and security standards, which include but are not limited to 24-hour CCTV monitoring.
“The department, working with all institutions, must carry on to work tirelessly to ensure that every student is safe in the classroom, their student residences and in between” declared the union
Saus announced that they will be rolling out further GBV response programmes in partnership with Higher Health to respond to the scourge of Gender-Based Violence and femicide in campuses around South Africa.
