Student strikes on the CPUT Wellington campus grounds continue and, with it, more destruction, disruption and discontent on all fronts.
A week after havoc was wreaked on numerous parts of campus striking students were at it again on Tuesday when they took to the library.
CPUT spokesperson Lauren Kansley said she can confirm that a group of protesting students entered the Wellington campus’ library and tipped bookshelves.
“The damage is incredibly disheartening and will take our library colleagues an incredibly long time to restore order. It also means the library, which is a safe study space, isn’t available to students who may need it.”
Kansley continued there are some who claim the books are racist, “which is not the case,” she assured.
Indeed one of the grievances and demands made by these students include that CPUT erect a separate room in which old books containing outdated racist jargon be removed from the library and placed there.
A spokesperson for the strikers argued these books should not be accessible to the wider public, despite the fact that they are not prescribed in current courses.
“Only those who do research about past racial injustice must have access, and not just anyone,” he relayed to Paarl Post.
Kansley said CPUT will continue to work with police and their task team in identifying those who caused damage to the library.
Last Thursday threats of more strike action from participating students loomed as part of a plea in lists of grievances and demands.
Impartial students going about their days peacefully are disrupted daily amid exams and protests, coupled with two separate occasions of arson on campus last week Tuesday.
Unhappiness was seen on the streets in response to the arrests of three students who allegedly caused a fire on the campus sport grounds.
Wellington police station commander Colonel Johan Barkhuizen said no further arrests had been made in the library incident.
He, however, confirmed three students had been released following their appearance in Wellington Court last week.
“The court ruled that there is still investigation outstanding and therefore released the three students on a warning,” Barkhuizen said.
In this case the charge may change and also possibly lead to another court date.
The rest of the week campus was either inaccessible due to increased security measures in which only exam students were allowed to write their scheduled tests. Classes were cancelled and students leaving campus with packed backs said they were to return on Monday.
More developing news on this issue will be reported.
