Alex Matlala

Alex Matlala

Students at the University of Limpopo have demanded that the institution's management "prioritise" the purchasing of minibuses this financial year - following the death of a student on Friday.

Their plea was sparked by the deadly assault on a student on a minibus on Friday. The student was coming from Pretoria to protest against fee increases.

The students also demand that the university move a female student - who was shot during a protest at the university last year - from a public to a private hospital.

The Student Representative Council has also demanded that the institution take care of all the costs incurred during her stay in the hospital until she recovers fully - and grant her a pass because she was unable to sit for exams because she was too ill.

The student body has given the university seven working days to respond to its demands.

SRC chairman Lucas Maboga said the need for university transport comes after a student at the university was killed on a minibus belonging to a private company.

"Had the university been using its own vehicles, the student would still be alive. He was allegedly assaulted and killed."

Maboga said that the university should ensure that it plays a role in making sure that the health of the female student who was shot during a campus protest last year improves.

"The student was shot by police on campus. It should be the responsibility of the university to make sure that she fully recovers."

University authorities have promised to study the students' demands.