While Rhodes University students mourned the death of alleged rape victim Khensani Maseko‚ students at Nelson Mandela University (NMU) forced the suspension of lectures following the alleged rape of a student at the weekend.
At Rhodes, the Student Representative Council (SRC) led an academic shutdown on campus on Monday following reports that third-year law student Maseko had committed suicide on Friday.Maseko, 23, who was allegedly raped on campus by a fellow student two months ago, left a heartbreaking suicide note on Instagram.
Her haunting final post gave her date of birth and Friday’s date – the date of her death – along with the caption: “No one deserves to be raped!!”
Rhodes said on its official Twitter account that it had begun the process to formally suspend the alleged perpetrator.
Rhodes vice-chancellor Sizwe Mabizela lowered the university flag to half-mast on Monday and agreed to a total academic shutdown to allow the students an opportunity to mourn and to hold activities around gender-based violence.
He also said the university intended to ask the police and National Prosecuting Authority to initiate a formal inquest into Maseko’s death.
The student council said in a statement that it had been informed on Saturday about the death of the young woman.
EFF Student Command member Abongile James said: “She had exceptional leadership qualities.“She was not a conformist and she believed in what was right‚ not what she was told was right.”
James was part of the team that organised the shutdown at Rhodes in Makhanda (Grahamstown).
James described Maseko as selfless and passionate about women and the challenges they faced.
“She was all about women empowerment.
“She helped in establishing the Ubuntu fund‚ which looks after the needs of disadvantaged students.”
In a social media post, the SRC’s Dingaan Booi said: “It is with the greatest sadness that the Rhodes University Independent Electoral Board mourns the loss of one of our own.
“Miss Khensani Maseko was a valued member of our team‚ serving the student body of Rhodes University selflessly as our secretary.”
Meanwhile, at NMU, protesting students blockaded north and south entrances early on Monday, following the alleged rape of a student.
Shortly after lunchtime, protest leader Yandisa Jubase read out the students’ list of demands before it was handed to vice-chancellor Prof Sibongile Muthwa.
“It is utter shock and feelings of hopelessness that have driven the women of Nelson Mandela University to initiate a Port Elizabeth campus shutdown,” she said.
“We are troubled by reported and unreported incidents of rape and/or sexual assault among students who share communal spaces.
“There have been initiatives aimed at creating increased awareness about gender-based violence and such initiatives are continuing across all NMU campuses.
“Clearly, there is an unwillingness among the perpetrators to do any self-reflection and self-development and, as such, the women of NMU are reclaiming our agency by reinforcing the need to hold all perpetrators to account for acts of violence.” The students’ demands include being updated on all pending sexual-harassment cases and incidents of gender-based violence on and off campus and the immediate suspension of alleged perpetrators with pending cases.
They also want all students who want to stay at the university’s on- and off-campus residences to undergo mandatory sexual-harassment and antigender-based-violence training as part of a vetting process of the calibre of person being accommodated at the institution.
Muthwa said: “We believe we cannot lead the university without authentic student voices.
“We also remain aware that the playing field is not level at our universities and that people come from different upbringings.
“Women students happen to be one of the most marginalised groups and this mirrors our society, but that does not mean we must be complacent.
“As an institution of higher learning, and one that carries the name of Madiba, we must lead by example and work together with our students and staff to ensure we push back at all forms of discrimination.
“I was very shocked at what happened at the weekend and we have already taken action to respond to this situation.”
A 23-year-old NMU student, who did not want to be named, said that while it was important to highlight each sexual assault, the university management needed to step in.
“We were here last year, protesting because someone had been assaulted sexually – and now we are here again.
“Nothing has been done in a year, we are still walking among our rapists, assaulters and abusers,” she said.Police confirmed that a case of rape had been opened by a student at 1am on Saturday but had been withdrawn a few hours later.
The alleged perpetrator, also a student, was detained for about three hours before being released.
Neither of the two can be named due to the nature of the alleged crime.
Police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu said: “The allegations were initially that a 21-year-old woman had been raped in the early hours of Saturday.
“The suspect was arrested and detained for about three hours and released when the woman dropped the charges.”
Naidu said the man had been arrested at 5.30am and the case withdrawn at 9am.
“A withdrawal statement was attained from the woman and the case closed,” she said.
Meanwhile, detectives from the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences (FCS) unit arranged a meeting between the woman and a state prosecutor who specialises in sex-related cases at 10am on Monday.
“I can confirm that they met and it was decided that the case remain closed,” Naidu said.