The student representative council (SRC) at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) says that the suspension of its president is a direct attack on the EFF-led SRC.

SRC president Sesiyanda Godlimpi was served with a precautionary suspension letter on Monday following an altercation between himself‚ students and university officials. Godlimpi says the altercation was peaceful and non-threatening.

"The SRC wanted to use its budget to help students who were unregistered‚ but the university would not allow us to. When students came to ask the SRC why they would no longer be able to register‚ I took them to the dean of students to seek answers‚" said Godlimpi.

"There was no verbal abuse or intimidation‚" he added.

The SRC said it was not surprised by the suspension of Godlimpi and another SRC member‚ Hlengiwe Khuzwayo.

"We are not surprised ... because we are always targeted since we are the SRC led by EFF. But we remain unshaken and we can see that they are trying by all means to destroy the SRC. They tried with their court interdict and it didn't work‚" said the SRC in a statement.

According to Godlimpi's suspension letter‚ he is accused of intimidating and verbally abusing DUT staff during the incident‚ on May 27 2019.

"You are further prohibited from participating in any student academic and/or non-academic activity pending the investigation of serious misconduct of verbal and physical threats to a DUT staff member and for instilling fear and intimidation within the working environment‚" the letter states.

He has also been asked to vacate his residence.

"This has affected my studies because I have been forced to stay with a friend‚ and it is not conducive to my learning‚" said Godlimpi.

Meanwhile‚ the university said it could not speak about the merits of the case as it was still under investigation.

"This precautionary suspension was due to his recent conduct‚ which was in breach of the university's disciplinary code. Therefore‚ the university was obliged to institute consequence management against him‚ as it would do against any other student who was accused of violating the disciplinary code.

"This matter is still sub-judice and the university will not comment further until all of the due processes have been concluded‚" it said in a statement.

Godlimpi and Khuzwayo were on Thursday expected to make representations to the university today as to why their suspensions should not be made substantive..