The University of Zululand has closed down “until further notice” and students have been forced to leave campus after they burnt down buildings at Ongoye Campus in KwaDlangezwa, north of KwaZulu-Natal.
The buildings, including the bookshop, were set alight on Thursday during a protest over unpaid allowances for meals. A police vehicle was also torched.
A group of students carrying sticks, bottles and other materials forced their way into lecture halls and disrupted lectures.
In a statement on Friday, the troubled university’s management said that it has decided to close the KwaDlangezwa Campus. Management said that it will secure the campus with additional security and the assistance of the South African Police Service.
“The campus will be closed until further notice. Staff working on the KwaDlangezwa Campus are instructed not to report for duty until further notice,” the statement said.
“Students living in residences on the KwaDlangezwa Campus are also instructed to vacate residences with immediate effect and no student will be able to access the KwaDlangezwa Campus until further notice.”
Meanwhile, the Richards Bay Campus remains fully operational and the academic program continues as per normal.
– African News Agency (ANA); Editing by Moses Mudzwiti
