In a first of its kind, a press briefing that included staff and the media, Professor Marcus Ramogale, Acting Vice-Chancellor & Principal openly begged the kidnappers of beloved lecturer, Mr Shan Dwarika to release him. “We are here to raise awareness about the disappearance of our long-time serving colleague. Not only has this distressed us, but his students and former students are also distressed, and we are all begging law enforcement to assist. We are praying for his release as a university, and we are praying for his family to be strong and stay positive during this period”, said the Vice-Chancellor. The media’s presence has assisted as they are spreading the word. Mr Anil Lonappan, a friend of Dwarika spoke about how this has affected the family and how Mrs Dwarika has not been able to eat food since her husband’s abduction could not return home on Saturday afternoon. The SRC President, Mr Vusi Mthethwa, made a call for the return of Dwarika and indicated how students are affected by this and their uncertainty over what would happen to their exam papers during this time. One of his examination papers was being written at the time of the press briefing. “I will engage the dean about how work will be allocated until Mr Dwarika is back”, said the Vice-Chancellor.