Racial tension at intervarsity
2010-08-08 08:55
Bloemfontein –
Students who gathered for Saturday's intervarsity rugby match between the North-West University
and the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein were greeted
by an armoured Casspir and police members.
Racial tension was running high at the University of
the Free State
over the weekend.
Police were called in after the university on Friday
was granted a court order in the Bloemfontein High Court to prevent Sasco, an ANC-affiliated
student organisation, from damaging property, assaulting or intimidating
people.
Security guards maintained a strong presence at the
rugby matches on Saturday and were supported by police.
Netball and hockey matches had to be cancelled on
Friday after Sasco supporters ran onto the fields. They swore at players and
threatened them.
Netball players said they had been frightened and
feared that violence would break out.
Sasco said on Friday it was boycotting the
intervarsity as the North-West
University was
"racist" and wasn't transforming.
But Rudi Buys, student dean at the University of the Free State said Sasco's
actions had more to do with a coming student body election.
University of the Free State rector Professor Jonathan Jansen
suspended the student representative council and student parliament on Friday
night and banned all party politics for the time being.
