6 PITCHER STUDENTS ARRESTED IN PROTEST

MANZINI - Six students from William Pitcher Teachers’ Training College were yesterday arrested following violent protests that lasted for two days within the institution’s premises.

Two of the arrested students are aged 21 and the other four are 22, 23, 25 and 27. The protesting students started burning tree logs and tyres on Monday at around 7pm up until police officers dispersed the crowd. The students also pelted the officers with stones and the law enforcers resorted to using teargas to disperse the seemingly rowdy crowd inside the college’s premises and dormitories.

Protest

Yesterday, the students who consisted of mostly males, who are currently pursuing their final-year at the institution, continued with the protest along the road near the college. As a result, the road was temporarily closed by the police to avoid damaging members of the public’s vehicles. When this reporter visited the college yesterday, the gates were found locked, with the students singing struggle songs while carrying stones in readiness to throw them at the police outside the college premises. At around 9:30am, the students then started pelting the police officers with the stones. The law enforcers were standing outside the college’s premises near the road. As the students continued to pelt the officers with stones, teargas canisters were fired by the police and this dispersed the students, but it did not deter them as in less than 30 minutes, they once again resumed pelting stones at the police, resulting in one of them (officer) being hit on the neck, causing an injury.

Jumping

Five minutes later, the police entered the institution through jumping over the fence to instil order. This resulted in the students running towards different directions as some hid inside their dormitories. Some of the senior police officers then went to talk to the college’s management and consensus was reached that the students should be removed from the college premises to avoid damage to property. When the students were finally ordered to vacate the premises, this is when the police arrested some of them. Students’ Representative Council (SRC) President Ayanda Zwane said the students’ grievances were that they still hadn’t received their allowances for second and final-year students yet the Ministry of Labour, and Social Security had issued a statement stating that they would be getting their allowances on November 30, 2020, but as of yesterday, they still hadn’t received anything.

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