Pretoria - Shop owners in Pretoria central quickly closed off their businesses as running battles erupted between police and university students, mainly from the Tshwane University of Technology, on Wednesday afternoon.
Rubber bullets were fired several times in the city centre as some students retaliated by throwing rocks and rubble towards police lines.
Shop owner, Ahmed Hassan, said he had swiftly closed off his cellphone accessories shop on Wednesday due to previous experiences during violent protests.
“I lost my stock last year when the students marched. I have to deal with angry clients when I tell them that their phones they left for me to repair have been taken away. It seems like no one can protect us,” he said.
The students initially blocked off the TUT main campus in Pretoria west, setting alight several tyres and using rocks to block the roads.
“Going into the campus for a meeting is a waste of our time. Let’s speak to the police to open the way for us and we want to march to Arcadia,” said one student leader.
The hundreds of students then headed to their Arcadia campus with a huge police contingent escorting them. Some of the students were notably wearing party regalia of different political formations, including the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the African National Congress (ANC).
#FeesMustFall activist Vusi Mahlangu said the TUT student protests was a fragment of the nationwide campaign for free higher education.
“These universities continue to allege that they cannot give us free education. They say we can only be given free education by the government. If they are really committed to free education, we are making this call to them – they must voluntarily shut down. They must give us [university] buses and come to march with us,” said Mahlangu.
“This matter is as simple as that. We are not fighting them [universities], we are fighting for free education. The more they resist, the more they provoke the students. We have had very peaceful night vigils in the last three days. We didn’t burn any university or fight anyone.”
Mahlangu said the universities’ insistence on reopening the campuses was an act of provocation to the protesting students. He said the protests would continue indefinitely until the fight for no-fee education was won.
In a statement to media, TUT spokesperson, Will de Ruyter, said the scheduled re-opening of the Pretoria main and Ra-Rankuwa campuses had been dealt a blow by the latest student protests.
“Due to protest action that erupted this morning and the barricading of gates, the Pretoria and Ga-Rankuwa staff and students have been advised to go home for the remainder of the day,” De Ruyter said.
“We will continue to monitor the situation at all campuses and will update you during the course of the day.”
Students at numerous campuses across South Africa are currently engaged in violent protests. The protests erupted after Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande announced that university were permitted to hike 2017 fees for “well-off” students, up to a maximum of eight percent.
African News Agency