Sne Masuku

Sne Masuku

The dreams of a better future for nine of the 12 students suspended at the Mangosuthu University of Technology were shattered yesterday.

The university's internal disciplinary committee found the nine students guilty of orchestrating an unlawful strike and sentenced them to a year "out of the university".

The students were suspended in March after thousands of students embarked on a strike over the lack of lecturers and poor resources at the university.

The disappointed students, also members of the Students' Representative Council (SRC), yesterday said they were not surprised at the verdict.

"We received threats from [university] management that they would not hesitate to kick us out if we caused problems, or even questioned the way things are done at the university," said one of the students.

Two other students were found guilty of orchestrating the strike and sentenced to a one-year suspended sentence, while one SRC member was found not guilty and reinstated.

The students say they will not accept the university's verdict. If the university does not take them back they intend instituting legal action. They will meet today to consider the way forward.

SRC president Brian Masondo, who will not be allowed to continue his studies for a year, said the institution had given them three days to appeal the sentence.