EAST LONDON - The South African Human Rights Commission has issued an 83-page report following unrest that took place in Mthatha.
It follows days of protests at Walter Sisulu University, where 14 students were injured, three of them seriously, in shootings where live ammunition could have been used.
In its scathing report, the SAHRC has found that private security and the police used unnecessary and excessive force during the confrontations, while university management provided little remedial action in support of the injured students.
The SAHRC states that on 23 May 2024, Walter Sisulu University students embarked on a peaceful protest.
Chaos soon engulfed the Mthatha Campus and surrounding areas, where poorly trained police officers and trigger-happy security attacked protesting students.
The report also highlighted the Eastern Cape Community Safety Department's lack of oversight and the university's lack of support for students.
The SAHRC has given implicated parties 60 days to implement its recommendations.
It says systemic failures by law enforcement agencies in dealing with protests have the potential to further put protesters' lives in danger if these issues are not urgently addressed.
- eNCA's Ronald Masinda reports.