NWU students held for arson
2008-09-03 12:08
Johannesburg - Four students have been arrested for arson at the North West University's Mafikeng campus following protests at the institution, police said on Wednesday.
Captain Sabatha Mokgwabone said two were arrested for allegedly setting the university warden's house alight, the other two for burning a guard house on the campus on Tuesday. They would likely appear in court on Thursday.
"The situation is quiet at the moment. This brings the number (of arrests) to 13, including the nine arrested for public violence at the university," said Mokgwabone.
The nine arrested for public violence were expected to appear in the Molopo Magistrate's Court on Wednesday.
University management spokesperson Louis Jacobs confirmed that there were no further reports of violent incidents at the institution. They had not yet decided when the university would re-open.
"At this stage management has not yet decided when the university would open... there are a lot of issues to be taken into account," he said.
Jacobs said the 13 students would automatically face a disciplinary hearing and be charged criminally.
The university was closed until further notice on Tuesday after police fired rubber bullets to disperse protesting students. Protests started in May after seven students were expelled from the university.
On Monday afternoon about 100 students barricaded the main entrance. They threw stones at a campus residence and damaged library property.
- SAPA