Gamalakhe man ‘killed’ in Eastern Cape
Siphamandla Xaba’s friends alleged that he had been assaulted by security guards before the incident.
The hashtag #JusticeForSphamandla is being used by South Coasters to get answers after the death of Siphamandla Xaba, from Gamalakhe, who died in the Eastern Cape recently.
Xaba was a first-year management student at Walter Sisulu University Ibika campus in Butterworth.
According to police and the institution, the 28-year-old died from head injuries that were allegedly sustained after jumping from a moving security vehicle.
However, Xaba’s friends alleged that he had been assaulted by security guards before the incident.
The friends who did not want to be named said the incident happened when they got back to the university from a night out.
They said Xaba was accused of stealing meat and he was asked for his student card which he did not have.
Speaking to the media, Walter Sisulu University spokesperson Yonela Tukwayo said the circumstances surrounding the tragic incident were under investigation by the police.
Eastern Cape police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Siphokazi Mawisa said the student (Xaba) was reportedly in a vehicle belonging to the university security company when he allegedly jumped out while it was moving.
“He succumbed to his injuries in hospital,” said Mawisa.
Meanwhile, Xaba’s family feels as if the police are not doing enough to solve this case.
Thabani Xaba, Siphamandla’s brother, who gave Fever the go-ahead to enquire about his brother’s death said: “They killed him and no arrests have been made. There is no investigation, nothing. It is as if the police believe the words of the perpetrators and are refusing to consider what the students have to say. One day the truth will come out, it is just a matter of time and patience.”
The Eastern Cape provincial health department spokesperson, Sizwe Kupelo, said the autopsy report indicated that Xaba died of head injuries.
The 28-year-old was buried on March 16 at the Methodist Church of Southern Africa in Gamalakhe.
After many attempts to get hold of the security company in question, a comment had not been received at the time of going to press.
However, in a recent statement, the EFF Students Command (EFFSC) said after demanding the removal of the security company from campus, the university has let the company go.
“They informed us in a meeting the company is gone. We further demand justice, the security officers who were involved must be taken to jail to be accountable for what they did to Xaba. We will not rest as the organisation up until justice is served,” read the statement.
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