A surge of anger and heartbreak swept through the University of the Witwatersrand on Tuesday, when allegations emerged that a newly elected Student Representative Council (SRC) member, Musawenkosi Mavuso, representing the EFF Student Command, had allegedly raped a fellow student.
For many on campus, the accusation wasn’t just an isolated incident — it was a deep betrayal of trust by someone chosen to serve and protect student interests.
In a moment that captured the nation’s attention, students abandoned lecture halls and poured into the streets in spontaneous protest. Their chants reverberated through Braamfontein, carrying a powerful message of defiance:
“Phambili Nge War! 💜💜” (Forward with the war!)
The exclusive NOWinSA video, filmed on Tuesday and shared on the publication’s official X page, shows hundreds of Wits students marching together, their voices unified in a demand for justice and institutional accountability.
“It was more than just a protest,” one student tells NOWinSA on the sidelines of the march. “It was a declaration that enough is enough — that women’s safety on campus can no longer be negotiated.”
University confirms formal complaint
Speaking to the media, Wits spokesperson Shirona Patel confirmed that a formal complaint had been lodged with the university’s Gender Equity Office (GEO).
“A report was made by a fellow student, and the Gender Equity Office is managing this complaint in line with our rule-based policy,” Patel said.
She also urged all students to report incidents of gender-based harm directly to the GEO.
Patel dismissed unverified social media reports that the alleged perpetrator had been assaulted, confirming that while protesters marched to the student’s residence, “they did not find him there and later dispersed peacefully.”
SRC suspends member pending investigation
The Wits SRC later issued a statement acknowledging the seriousness of the allegations and confirming that Mavuso had been suspended pending investigation.
“The accused… has been placed under immediate suspension pending investigation. The SRC will not accord minimal attention to a national-global conundrum of this nature,” the statement read.
The council also reiterated its solidarity with all victims of gender-based violence, femicide, and homophobia, calling on university authorities to act with transparency and urgency.
A system in crisis: The statistical chasm between rape and justice
The student outrage at Wits is a microcosm of a national emergency. Data from Medical Research Counci – captured in a report by Wits’ CALS – paints a devastating picture of systemic failure. The journey from a rape occurring to a conviction being secured is a path of overwhelming attrition. It begins with the vast majority of crimes going unreported, with only 1 in 9 survivors reporting the crime to police.
From there, the system continues to falter: only about half of reported cases lead to an arrest (50.5%), fewer than half of those arrests result in a court charge (42.8%), and a mere 6.2% of prosecuted cases end in a conviction. This means that for every 20 cases that make it to court, only one results in a conviction, leaving a profound justice gap that fuels public outrage and demands for accountability.
The diagram below tracks the journey of rape cases through the criminal justice system, based on the MRC study data.
Key takeaways: For every 100 rapes that occur, the system produces a fraction of a single conviction, illustrating a profound justice gap for survivors.
EFF Student Command responds
The EFF Student Command confirmed that Mavuso, who serves as the SRC Officer for Innovation and Community Development, faces a pending investigation and previous allegations of sexual assault.
In a statement, the organisation called for his immediate suspension and emphasised its commitment to the protection and dignity of women students.
Meanwhile, the South African Union of Students (SAUS) condemned the alleged assault, saying it reflects a “broader culture of impunity and patriarchal abuse.”
“We refuse to be silent while women are violated and humiliated by those who hide behind revolutionary slogans by day and prey on the vulnerable by night,” SAUS National Spokesperson Thato Masekoa said.
The War Cry of a generation
The haunting refrain — “Phambili Nge War” — has since become a rallying call on campus and across social media, symbolizing a generation of young South Africans demanding an end to gender-based violence and institutional complacency.
For many Wits students, this is not just a protest — it’s a war for safety, dignity, and justice.
“We’re not going back to class until we’re heard,” one student declared in the NOWinSA video. “We want a campus where women don’t have to fear those elected to protect them.”
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