ABOUT 70 students reportedly stormed Rhodes University’s law faculty in Grahamstown on Monday morning.
This followed the release of a list of 11 male students accused of sexual assault incidents, which was circulated on Facebook.
The students were demanding to speak to the law facility’s dean about the rape allegations, as a majority of the accused were law students.
University spokeswoman Catherine Deiner was unavailable for comment.
Student newspaper Oppidan Press on Monday tweeted a photograph captioned “students gathered outside Law Department plan go move to Drostdy‚ via the Education Department #RUreferencelist”.
On Sunday night‚ students marched to various residences looking for the individuals on the so-called reference list.
The topic trended on Twitter under the #RUReferenceList hashtag‚ with many students calling for a campus-wide shutdown‚ and for the university to take responsibility for the actions of the offenders on the list.
On Monday‚ Sista Bethuna (@BongoMuffing) used the hashtag when she tweeted her support: “Wow. The victims who compiled the #RUReferenceList are so brave. This is so vital. Make their lives bloody uncomfortable.”
Rhodes University vice-chancellor Sizwe Mabizela on Sunday night allegedly called for residences to be shut‚ to prevent the crowd from getting to other alleged offenders.
A set of demands were sent to Dr Mabizela‚ to be met by 4pm‚ from the Rhodes University Chapter 2.12 — “a campaign addressing rape culture at universities and holding management accountable for the inadequate way that rape is dealt with”.
Demands include that the university proctors step down; a team be appointed to investigate sexual assaults; changes be made to the sexual harassment policy; sexual assault offenders not be allowed run for the student representative council and that no student who is part of a protest face disciplinary action.
TMG Digital/Sunday Times
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