The latest student unrest at the University of Fort Hare in the Eastern Cape, which has resulted in the suspension of academic activities on campus, is a sad reminder of a perennial culture of public violence we must get rid of in our society.
Students have been protesting at the Dikeni campus of the university since Monday, forcing its closure after several buildings were set alight. The acts of wanton destruction of property are not only criminal but also delegitimise whatever gripe the students may have with management.
The habit of destroying public property to register grievances, which has its roots in our past during the struggle against apartheid, no longer has a place in a democratic state.
According to reports, some students were injured during violent clashes with security guards on campus. The students have said their protest was sparked by the collapse of governance systems at the institution.
The university said multiple acts of arson were reported on campus, where patrol bombs were thrown at administrative buildings and even a newly built clinic that is yet to be opened.
There can be no doubt that these continued acts of criminality threatened the safety of everyone on campus. Preliminary estimates of the damage caused by the torching of buildings were between R250m and R500m. These costs are staggering for a university that has already suffered huge financial losses in the past due to alleged looting and corruption.
Perhaps even more alarming is the fact that many students at the university are from poor backgrounds and desperately need all the financial support they can get to finish their studies.
The students have a huge responsibility to protect the infrastructure of the institution for their own futures and not destroy it in a fit of rage over current issues.
Equally, the department of higher education, which has promised to address the situation at the university and deal with ongoing governance and security issues, must act quicker to restore order.
Fort Hare University is too important an institution — both in historical terms and for the future development goals of this country — for our leaders to stand by and witness its destruction.
Failure to find a sustainable solution to the problems plaguing Fort Hare by listening to both the students and management will have grave consequences that could lead to this great institution being condemned to the dustbin of history.
The state should not be spending millions of rand fixing damaged property at Fort Hare because of unrest but on educating more deserving poor students.
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