Amid the recent series of National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NFSAS) protests at various educational institutions within the Vanderbijlpark precinct, station commander Brigadier Nikiwe Sefatsa has issued a stern warning to protesting students.

The warning comes after multiple incidents of riots and property damage that have recently occurred.

Vanderbijlpark, a hub of academic activity, hosts three prominent higher education facilities: Vaal University of Technology, North West University, and Sedibeng TVET College.

However, these institutions have been flawed by sporadic protests, causing disruptions and unrest in the community.

One such incident at North West University saw a student accidentally driving through a protest, ramping up fellow protesting students.

In light of such events, Sefatsa emphasised the importance of respecting those who are not involved in the protests and refraining from causing harm to property.

Speaking to Sedibeng Ster, she stressed the need for peaceful and respectful demonstrations.

“The issues of these unrests are between students and the institutions and as SAPS, we normally deploy our officers from POPs [Public Order Police] to make sure that during negotiations nothing is being damaged or people getting injured,” she says.

“We have permanently deployed members of POPs and the crime prevention unit from our station to deal with the unrest, which is likely to continue as it always happens between February and April,” she adds.

Sefatsa says they deployed several units to beef up security at the three institutions.

“We added a task team from the district office to add on the numbers to deal with protesting students. We’ve learned that protesting students sometimes gather in the evenings and converge to riot in the three institutions. We will always be there to enforce, and those who are unruly will face the might of the law,” she warns.