CR Swart statue has fallen

Bloemfontein - The vandalised statue of a late politician Charles Robberts Swart was left lying in a pond in front of the law faculty at the University of the Free State on Tuesday afternoon, after a day of protests.

CR Swart served as the last Governor-General of Union of South Africa from 1960 to 1961, and was president of the Republic of South Africa from 1961 to 1967. 

Economic Freedom Fighters protesters started defacing the statue at the university on Tuesday morning. Students burned tyres and used hammers and rocks to get the statue down.

Earlier in the day, EFF supporters, clad in red T-shirts and berets, spilled onto the campus and blockaded the main gate, while others vandalised the statue and law buildings.

The protesters smashed glass cabinets and spray-painted the words "Robert Sobukwe Law School" on one of the buildings.

On Monday night, protesters clashed with supporters of the university’s rugby team after disrupting a Varsity Cup match.

The match resumed after police and university security intervened.

Student Representative Council vice president, Mpho Khati, told students they were the university's new management and would make the institution ungovernable until their demands were met.

This article first appeared on News24 – see here.