University SRC president 'assaulted' by Sasco members



Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NNMU) SRC president Nicholas Nyati was allegedly attacked by Sasco members on campus earlier this week. The attack which was caught on a camera at the NNMU main campus entrance shows eight men armed with weapons including sticks‚ spades and batons chasing Nyati and NMMU SRC secretary-general Luvo Vimbani down the hall.Nyati told TMG Digital that the incident which happened on Monday was one of five he and his colleagues had suffered since February."I came out from training (a meeting) to go buy food for our training group and then as I got out of the elevator I saw a group of eight heavily armed men charging towards us shouting ‘there they are’ and I started running away."They ran after us and when they caught up with me they held me by the collar of my shirt until they took us to the training room. I asked why they were doing this and they said they want to beat us up‚" Nyati added. Nyati was saved by campus security‚ but says he suffers from a painful back as a result of the beating."I am scared to even be at campus‚ it has become so dangerous and what is worse is that management is not doing anything about this."The DASO leader alleged that the men who attacked him were SASCO members of the SRC‚ including its president‚ Lufefe Mkutu‚ who lost against him in the university's elections last year."I recognised the men who attacked us and I know them very well. It is not the first time they are doing this‚ they attacked me in February in front of the dean but even after I laid a charge with security services nothing was done‚ until today."Nyati said he had laid a case of assault against the men at the Humewood police on Thursday.The DA in the Eastern Cape condemned the attack."Nyati was assaulted by a group of men on campus‚ some of whom were wearing ANC T-shirts. This is an unjustifiable act‚ which the DA condemns…These dangerous individuals should not be on campus as they are a threat to the lives and safety of students."An NMMU spokesperson was unable to immediately comment on the incident.