Following the publication of this article, Media Manager of Stellenbosch University (SU), Martin Viljoen, contacted MatieMedia with the following:
“Campus security denies that Mr Khan was ‘forcibly removed’ or that he was in any sense ‘dragged’ to their car. He was removed from the Rooiplein but he didn’t have any personal belongings with him (which he claimed he sold). Campus security was contacted by two female students who laid complaints of pestering them and verbally attacking them. He was also apparently under the influence of alcohol.”
This comes despite SU campus security originally refusing to comment when contacted by MatieMedia.
On Saturday, the 5th of October, Mr Rajah Khan was arrested for intimidation and ‘crimen injuria’. Khan, who is a well known vagrant within the Stellenbosch University (SU) community, was selling pens and pencils on the Rooiplein when two students, after having said no to him, allegedly called campus security to have him removed.
‘Crimen injuria,’ according to South African law is the “willful injury to someone’s dignity, caused by the use of obscene or racially offensive language or gestures.” Khan says that after the two students said no, he thanked them and proceeded to sit far away from the students. In a letter describing the events, Khan wrote, “Ten minutes later, I was surrounded by six campus security guards. They physically dragged me to their car in front of all the students.”
Following his detaining, Rajah Khan was given this Notice of Rights. PHOTO: Aaliyah Davids.
SU campus security refused to comment.
After being escorted to the campus security office, Khan was taken to the Stellenbosch jail, where he stayed until the morning of Tuesday, 8th of October. Thereafter, he was taken to court and granted R500 bail. SU theology student, JG de Bruin (19), paid the bail money.
Khan – commonly known as Raj – is one of many vagrants who frequently walks around the SU campus. PHOTO: Aaliyah Davids.
De Bruin, who has known Khan for around seven months, says that he is an extraordinary person. “He is always kind to everyone he sees and great through [out] his day. My experience with Raj has only been good and it is always great to see his friendly face on campus,” he added.
Following his release, Khan asked the students, who had witnessed the incident, sign a petition, claiming that the complainants were lying.
A petition in support of Khan was signed by a total of fifteen students. PHOTO: Aaliyah Davids.
“From knowing him, from him being around – just seeing him around campus – he doesn’t seem like a violent person, nor does he seem to really bother anyone. If you say that you don’t have money, or whatever, he leaves. He’s not like some of the other guys on campus, who harass you or swear at you,” said one of the students who signed the petition, Kenau Bester.
In an exclusive interview with MatieMedia, an emotional Khan said that it was his first time in jail. “It was so scary,” he said as he started crying.
An emotional Khan describes the events that took place on the 5th of October, prior to his arrest. It was his first time in jail. VIDEO: Aaliyah Davids.
“The fact that SU is an open campus, campus security and the students cannot expect to keep ‘unwanted’ people off of campus. So, I feel that his arrest is unfair seeing that there is no reason to keep Raj off of campus,” says de Bruin.
On the 6th of November, Khan appeared in court where the charges against him were dropped.