#Intervarsity 2013 ends in stampede and chaos Insufficient security and an overbooked venue at Intervarsity 2013 is considered by witnesses to have led to students being injured in a stampede outside the event’s official afterparty last night. At least one Rhodes student was injured with many laying blame at the feet of the Student Representative Council (SRC) of Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU), who hosted and organised this year’s event. Good weather throughout the day ensured that sports events on Saturday went smoothly. However, that night conditions turned bad. Undaunted by heavy rain and the cold Port Elizabeth wind, students travelled across the NMMU campus to the Rag Farm, where artists such as Sizwe Dlomo, AKA, Roger Goode and Ralf Gum were booked to perform. The large crowd gathered at the entrance and at approximately 10pm the mood shifted dramatically, according to Rhodes student Tiyatle Morimbe, who was standing in the queue. “One of the security guards had a taser gun that he kept using unnecessarily, people were not even rowdy or unruly at the time. Every time he tasered the students, people would get hesitant and run away from him, which caused a bit of havoc, people falling,” she said. The alleged use of tasers by security guards at the venue could not be confirmed the NMMU SRC. After the rain stopped, security opened the gate, seeing impatient students pushing and shoving. This, according to witnesses, was when the stampede began. “People were on the floor being trampled over, girls screaming and students gone wild,” said NMMU student Zintle Vani. An official security breach was declared at 23:43pm and students were instructed to leave immediately by the Rhodes SRC and marshals. Morimbe reports seeing a fellow Rhodes student, who has yet to be identified, being carried out from the venue by two NMMU students in overalls: “She couldn’t walk, her leg was broken.” Another Rhodes student, Katlego Raphoto, saw the ambulance leave with a few other Rhodes students in the front seat accompanying her. Rhodes SRC members attending the event, as well as those monitoring the SRC Facebook page, made arrangements for transport to Grahamstown for Rhodes students. SRC President Sakhe Badi blamed the lack of security for the stampede: “I did not see any medics on standby, students were injured; legs and arms broken. The party was cancelled because a venue that caters for 3000 people in my opinion had over 4500 people and our SRC needed to make transport alternatives due to these unforeseen circumstances. Students got treated, some decided to go home, but there were no medics on stand-by. The SRC of NMMU could have done much better.” NMMU SRC Deputy President Samantha Beynon declined to comment, saying only that an official statement would be made on Monday. Beynon has been widely praised by the Rhodes SRC for being one of the few members to leave the VIP area at the after party to assist in dealing with the situation. Media Liaison officer Rosalyn Baaitjies was unavailable for comment, apparently on leave. Press Relations Officer Siphenathi Mdliva referred reporters to SRC President Yanga Sibelekwana, who was also unavailable as his phone was switched off. The twitter feed of the NMMU SRC has been more forthcoming than its members. Numerous apologies have been made to enraged and embarassed NMMU students, although the SRC claims no responsibility for the events stating: “We could not control the weather and the subsequent sequence of events that ensued”. They also added that they “are bleak as everyone else.” Although rumours have been circulating that a Rhodes student was killed in the chaos, at this stage, they appear to be untrue. Images of a burning house have also been circulating on social media, but this appears to be an unrelated incident. Words by Emma Atkinson - Oppidan Press
Posted on: Mon, 19 Aug 2013 07:52:24 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015