Cape Town – A group of University of Cape Town (UCT)
students and supporters of the Rhodes Must Fall movement laid charges against
vice chancellor Max Price on Thursday.
Western Cape police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Andre
Traut confirmed that charges of assault, malicious damage to property and
intimidation were laid at Rondebosch police station.
“I cannot say who laid the charges and against whom, what I
can say is charges have been brought to police and we are investigating,” he
said.
One of the Rhodes Must Fall supporters confirmed to News24
that they had laid charges.
“We need the police to investigate the crimes that were
committed but were never reported against us. Students were assaulted and
intimidated but no one cares to tell this story,” said one of the supporters
who did not want to be named.
Rhodes Must Fall took to social media making a clarion call
for any evidence of brutality students could present to them against police and
security. “All those with evidence regarding the case of police violence that
took place at #Shackville on Tuesday night, please email it to us.”
The Institution obtained a court interdict against 16
students, including Eskom chief executive Brian Molefe’s son, following violent
campus protests.
The university approached the Western Cape Town High Court
on Wednesday after paintings, a Jammie shuttle bus and a bakkie were set
alight.
The vice chancellor’s office was petrol bombed. Eight people
were arrested. One of them was not a student.
On Monday, students erected a shack on Residence Road and
cordoned off an area, calling it Shackville. Their actions were intended to
highlight accommodation shortages in residences, which they said did not affect
white students. They claimed that black students were being treated badly.
But Price, at a media conference later on Wednesday, said in
2015 over 75% of students living in the university’s residences were black and
the number was expected to be higher this year.
