Riots and how students take advantage of it.
Back in around 2001, when I was studying for a diploma, I recall this particularly interesting but funny episodes of how students took part in demonstrations. These demonstrations always culminated or ended up with riots.
There was this weekend I had run out of cash and needed to run back home for reinbursment. But home was about 150 kilometers away.
As always, it was good wisdom to reserve a portion of your money as transport fare, set aside somewhere, to take you home. So you would not be tempted to spend from it. And the only time you would reach for it was when you needed to go back home. And hurray it saves the day.!
So I grabbed the last of what was left of my reimbursement I had saved and made for home 150 kilometers away. With the assurance, that the fare would take me home by bus.
But while I was away in another city, 150 kilometers away. A riot was brewing back in school. The cause of the riot, I was aware, was that the electricity in the school hostel was not functioning and there was much outage.
The students union had relunctantly agreed to make a peaceful protest to the school authorities. With the understanding that the protest would be peaceful. Students would just carry placards and chant some songs to attract the attention of the authorities of the school to their plight and proffer immediate remedy. And that would be all, as soon as they are addressed by the authorities.
A protest that started peacefully, soon turned rowdy and chaotic. The students went about mounting road blocks and making burn fires with tyres. They went absolutely out of control. Mob mentality.
An not long too, an unlucky bread van who was making his usual distribution round. Unaware of what was going on until students surrounded his van, made him stop and began making away with loaves of bread.
All students were suspended the following day. School closed down for about a week. And when the school reopened, a compulsory levy was put as penalty for the damages caused by students to the school. To cover for broken louvres, smashed windows and properties.
But as for the unlucky bread van. Did he ever get compensation?