Students are calling for the vice-chancellor (VC), Henk de Jager, and his deputy to be suspended again. OFM News earlier reported that De Jager was suspended on claims for turning a blind eye to allegations of sexual harassment against his deputy. Chairperson of the South African Student Congress Organisation (Sasco) at the campus, Thabiso Mokoena, says they also want another official - who allegedly wanted to manhandle a former female student leader - to be suspended pending the investigation. Mokoena says students also do not recognise the Student Representative Council (SRC) under EFF Student Command (EFFSC), calling it invalid and unconstitutional.

“According to the terms of reference of the CUT, [nothing was] followed in terms of SRC proceedings, nomination forms were not made available for Sasco comrades and we do not know where the EFF got them but Sasco did not get them. And there are other related issues, the suspension of vice-chancellor De Jager, the suspension of Deputy Vice-Chancellor Gary Paul, and also [Steve] Leepa. They must be suspended because the disciplinary proceedings must take place,” he adds.

Meanwhile, CUT spokesperson, Seithati Semenokane, tells OFM News that the Vice-Chancellor and his deputy have previously been provisionally suspended pending an investigation by the CUT council.

OFM News previously reported that De Jager and his deputy were suspended by the council but they were reinstated in their positions. De Jager is accused of turning a blind eye to claims of sexual harassment against his deputy.

Responding to claims that the SRC at the institution was invalid, Semenokane says the SRC elections, which took place online on the 4th and 5th of May 2021, were lawful, as the EFFSC was the only party contesting the elections on the Bloemfontein Campus, and they thus won.

“On 4 May 2021, Sasco made an urgent application to the High Court to stop the elections from taking place. However, this case was struck off the roll by the High Court and the CUT was exonerated from any wrongdoing and the court commended the university for following the election process properly,” she adds.

Students and the security guards from Stallion had a run-in on the campus with the guards chasing some students from the campus. Guards accused students of firing teargas at other fellow students.

OFM News