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City Press reports that academics and union leaders at the University of SA (Unisa) are embroiled in rivalry believed to have led to an incident in which senior lecturer Dr Rendani Netanda and two others were allegedly assaulted, hacked and stabbed.
According to Netanda, he and two colleagues had gone to the Academic and Professional Staff Association’s (Apsa’s) head office in Sunnyside, Pretoria, on Friday to have termination forms signed for members they were recruiting into their new union, which will be known as the Academic Staff and Educators’ Union. But, they were told to leave. Netanda related what then happened: “As we were about to leave in the car, I was suddenly grabbed and assaulted. I just missed being struck by some object one of our assailants was holding and managed to flee. The attackers then went for my two colleagues, who were severely beaten. Their wounds show that they were also hacked and stabbed.” Netanda said the Apsa leaders were clearly “unhappy” that they were losing members. Hellen Dladla, an administrative officer at Unisa who is among those leaving Apsa, confirmed the attacks and said she was also present when a case of assault was opened at the Sunnyside police station and the injured men treated for “serious wounds to their faces and bodies” in hospital. Apsa general secretary Boitumelo Senokoane, said in response to allegations of attack on the trio: “Former Apsa members, who opened their own union, invaded Apsa headquarters on October 30 2020 and held leadership hostage, and assaulted officials and office bearers. Staff members were injured. A case was opened with SAPS and the matter is sub judice.”
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Poloko Tau at City Press (paywall access only)
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page