The untimely death of a student in Cape Town and the recent attacks on foreign nationals reflect the extreme and unacceptable levels of violence pervasive in our society. We condemn all forms of violence in general and gender-based and xenophobic violence in particular in the strongest possible terms and urge the authorities to do everything possible to bring the offenders to book and help create an environment where everyone feels safe.

On behalf of the University of Pretoria (UP) community, allow me to express our deep condolences to the family and friends of Ms Uyinene Mrwetyana. Our thoughts and prayers are also with the victims of the xenophobic violence and their families. The UP Executive met today to discuss how we can work with the police and the broader UP community and what more we can to do to ensure the safety of our students and staff.  

Should students and staff need psychological support, they may call the UP Careline on 0800 747 747. The Careline is run in collaboration with the South African Depression and Anxiety Group, which may be accessed at www.sadag.org for other psychological web-based information.

Alternatively, students and staff may access the UP Crisis line, which also offers professional and confidential support in times of trauma, on 0800 00 64 28 or call the following numbers in case of emergency:

012 420 2310

012 420 2760

083 654 0476