Eastern Cape Police Confirms Student was Shot Dead at Walter Sisulu University, Another Injured

SIHLE MAVUSO|April 16, 2025

CONFIRMED DEAD: According to the Police in the Eastern Cape, the incident took place when the students went to the Residence Manager to confront him about the poor state of their residence. Photo: SAPS

The Police in the Eastern Cape have confirmed that a student was shot dead at the Mthatha campus of Walter Sisulu University and another one was injured yesterday, 15 April 2025.

According to the police, the incident happened when frustrated students mobilised themselves on the evening of Monday, 14 April 2025, complaining about the bad state of their residence.

At about 07h00 early on Tuesday morning, the students went to the Residence Manager, who stays within the institution with his family, to confront him about the poor state of their residence.

“It is alleged that the Residence Manager shot two male students, one died on the scene and another one survived and he was rushed to hospital for medical care. It is further reported that students mobilized and in the process the Residence Manager’s car was set alight and his wife was hit on the head with a hard object. The family was rescued by Mthatha Public Order Policing,” the Eastern Cape police said in a statement.

The police added that a force is currently outside the campus trying to manage students who want to block the N2.

They also confirmed that no arrests have been made yet, as the students are preventing the police from going to the crime scene as well as to get more information from witnesses.

***POOR OVERSIGHT: Democratic Alliance (DA) Shadow MEC for Community Safety, Yusuf Cassim, said the incident was the outcome of poor oversight and unchecked escalation at the institution. Photo: DA***

Meanwhile, Yusuf Cassim, the DA’s Shadow MEC for Community Safety, has called for calm amid the mayhem.

Cassim said the incident cannot be seen as an isolated event, adding that it is the latest and most tragic outcome in a long-standing pattern of instability, poor oversight, and unchecked escalation at the institution.

“This tragic shooting comes less than a month after the university shut down all campuses due to violent protests and raises serious questions about what steps, if any, were taken in the interim to address the causes of unrest and restore safety.

“In March, those protests escalated into violent actions, including the intimidation of non-striking students, the forced evacuation of staff and security personnel, vandalism of university property, and the suspension of academic operations across campuses,” he said.