Parliament, Monday, 23 August 2021 – The Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, Science and Technology sends its condolences to the families of two Fort Hare University students who tragically passed away in the past few days.
The committee is shocked and saddened at the brutal killing of Ms Nosicelo Mtebeni, a final-year law student at Fort Hare University. Ms Mtebeni was allegedly murdered by her boyfriend last week. Her body parts were found stuffed into bags in East London. It sends its heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Ms Mtebeni and wishes the family strength during this difficult time.
The committee acknowledges that Ms Mtebeni had aspirations of being an attorney or judge of the Constitutional Court, with young women aspiring to contribute to creating a just and peaceful society. The committee trusts that law enforcement agencies will ensure that justice prevails in the tragic murder of Nosicelo Mtebeni.
The committee is also devasted at the news of another Fort Hare University final-year BCom Law student who died after falling off the 12th floor of a student residence building. It sends condolences to the family and friends of this student. It wishes the family strength during this time of such a painful loss.
“The loss of such young lives marks such a grave, dark and repulsive moment in the University of Fort Hare. As a country we have been robbed of the contributions that these young people would have made to society,” said the Acting Chairperson of the committee, Ms Nompendulo Mkhatshwa. The committee urges students who are affected by these incidents to make use of the trauma counselling services that have been provided by the university.
The committee calls on the institutions of learning to be used intersectionally with other social institutions including civil society, to harness a better South Africa that will not partake in such inhumane and callous behaviour.
President Ramaphosa declared the scourge of Gender Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) as a pandemic. As part of the committees’ commitment to contributing solutions in addressing this pandemic, it had scheduled to receive a briefing on 15 September from the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) on gender transformation at tertiary institutions in the 2019-20 period, and on monitoring the implementation of the National Strategic Plan on GBVF.
The committee will also receive a briefing from the Department of Higher Education and Training on progress regarding the implementation of the National Strategic Plan on GBVF, on the work of the Ministerial Task Team on GBV, on policy framework and its implementation to address the GBVF in the Post-School Education and Training (PSET), and budget allocation by both the DHET and PSET institutions towards GBV related activities.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE ACTING CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, MS NOMPENDULO MKHATSHWA.
For media enquiries or interviews with the Chairperson, please contact the committee’s Media Officer:
Name: Faith Ndenze (Ms)
Parliamentary Communication Services
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E-mail: fndenze@parliament.gov.za
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