A Walter Sisulu University (WSU) student has been stabbed to death, allegedly by a fellow student he accused of using muthi at the university's East London residence on Monday night.
The university confirmed that the incident happened at the St Patrick's Court student residence which houses 89 male students in Southernwood.
The murdered student, who was 24 and came from Duncan Village informal settlement outside East London, was a final-year human resources management student at the university's Buffalo City campus. His alleged attacker is a final-year mechanical engineering student from Cambridge, which is also in East London.
A university official who asked not to be named, said the murdered student had accused the alleged attacker of using muthi. They then had a dispute which escalated into a physical fight.
Eastern Cape police spokesperson Brigadier Thembinkosi Kinana said a 29-year-old man was arrested for the murder and would appear in the East London Magistrate's Court on a charge of murder.
In a statement on Tuesday, WSU said the university's student affairs unit immediately responded to the incident and was with the victim's family at the hospital until he died.
The building where the incident happened is privately-owned and is leased to the university for student accommodation. WSU residence officials, together with the landlords, are working in co-operation with the South African Police Service, the university said..
WSU vice-chancellor Professor Rushiella Songca described the student's death as an unfortunate act of violence that should never have happened in any area of our society.
Tolerance
She called for social tolerance within the university community, especially among students.
"As people, we come from different cultures, different belief systems and different family setups. We must be tolerant to such differences. This unfortunate incident has now alerted the university to a need to be deliberate in programmes that encourage social cohesion," Songca said.
Meanwhile, the university has arranged group and individual counselling sessions for other students at the residence who have been affected by the incident.
The university added that students who experience challenges are always encouraged to approach the campus' Student Development and Support Services department for intervention in cases such as conflict resolution.
WSU student representative council president Phelo Matentamo could not be reached for comment. Her response will be added once received.
SOURCE: NEWS24
