Outrage at CPUT: Students protest following alleged rape of fellow student
The CPUT Student Representative Council has called for immediate disciplinary action against the suspect and anyone found protecting him.
Image: File
The alleged rape of a 23-year-old woman by a fellow student at a residence in Observatory, has left the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) community devastated and calling for swift, decisive action against the suspect.
Students and faculty were left outraged as the 24-year-old suspect was arrested shortly after the incident at the technikon’s Catsville residence at the weekend.
The suspect made an appearance at the Cape Town Magistrates Court on Monday where the matter was postponed for its formal bail application, which is set to begin on October 27.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesperson, Eric Ntabazalila, confirmed that the suspect made his first appearance.
As his court proceedings were underway, emotions were still running high as students gathered at the District Six campus, calling for bail to be denied bail and demanded accountability from both the accused and CPUT.
According to police spokesperson Captain FC Van Wyk, hundreds of students gathered to protest. “Public Order Police were called in when a group of about 200 students started protesting, demanding access to the suspect,” Van Wyk said.
“Woodstock police registered a rape case following an incident on Saturday at a student residence in Browning Street, Observatory. The complainant is a 23-year-old residing at the same address. This case was transferred to Cape Town FCS for further investigation. A 24-year-old male was arrested.”
The Student Representative Council also called for immediate disciplinary action against the suspect and anyone found protecting him. “We demand immediate eviction and suspension of this perpetrator from all CPUT buildings. We refuse to live with rapists and rapist apologists,” the student body said, adding that those who enable such behaviour are “equally guilty.”
“Even though the perpetrator had been evicted from this residence, he still had access to it and ended up committing this disgusting act,” the CPUT Mowbray Campus SRC posted on social media.
“We stand with the female who was victimised of her rights and we will not allow her to be silenced and stripped away of her rights further, or any other female.”
Meanwhile, CPUT spokesperson Lauren Kansley said the university was fully cooperating with the police and reaffirmed its commitment to tackling gender-based violence (GBV).
“The matter is now a SAPS one and we appreciate their swift action in removing the accused from the residence,” she said.
“CPUT works with the NPA on regular briefings to ensure that all matters, but specifically GBV ones, are handled in an empathetic and speedy way. Our Legal Services Unit will monitor the case until its conclusion, and a raft of internal processes, including the possible suspension of the accused and counselling for the victim, will all happen.”
The incident comes just weeks before the start of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, an international campaign observed every year from November 25 to December 10.
The campaign aims to raise awareness and call for concrete action to end violence against women and children, a cause that remains painfully urgent in South Africa.
In May 2022, police were investigating the alleged rape of an 18-year-old first-year CPUT student from Oudtshoorn. The incident took place during a social event on campus.
The student reported that she attended a student bash at the SS hall behind the residences with her friends. She then moved away from her friends to socialize and meet new people, ensuring she remained visible to them. She alleged that a stranger called her name and pulled her away from her friends.