Pietermaritzburg – Police have detained a man on Tuesday, in connection with an arson attack at the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Pietermaritzburg campus.
Police spokeswoman Brigadier Sally De Beer confirmed the arson attack at the campus’ Finance Building in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
She said police had rushed to the scene as soon as they were alerted to the incident.
“At the moment a suspect has been taken in for questioning, and we are still ascertaining whether he is linked to the incident.”
She said the man had not been charged and had not been formally arrested.
According to the statement from the university the man had been identified from video surveillance in area.
University spokesman Lesiba Seshoka said that the academic programme had not been derailed by the incident.
“The Pietermaritzburg Campus has experienced an act of arson in the last 24 hours. An office in the Finance Building was set on fire in the early hours of this morning causing some damage to equipment and documentation,” he said.
The extent of the damage was not immediately known.
On Tuesday, members from the nearby Alexandra Police Station maintained a presence within the campus premises while students went about their academic activities.
Many students who spoke to African News Agency (ANA) were not aware that the building had been torched and continued with their daily activity on campus.
“The destruction of property and burning of buildings has become a norm here, it no longer scares us we just go about our business and attend to classes,” said a student, who did not want to be named.
African News Agency