Roundup: Violence continues despite Zuma's intervention

Violence refused to die down outside the Union Buildings, the seat of the South African government in Pretoria on Friday despite President Jacob Zuma's announcement that there would be a zero percent increase in tuition fees.

Although students across the country celebrated their victory, clashes between riot police and students escalated outside the Union Buildings.

Police fired rubber bullets, teargas and stun grenades at students who refused to leave. Students scuffled with police, with some throwing rocks at police who chased the students around.

The scene looked like a battle field with smoke covering the sky. Chaos was also reported on surrounding streets.

A student, who gave his name as Nandos, said he was going to spend the night there to continue the struggle for free education rather than a zero percent increase.

Free education is a promise made by the ruling African National Congress (ANC).

"Even without being raised, the current tuition fee is still too high for us to afford," said Nandos.

"The struggle is far from over," he added.

Some students echoed his view, saying the ANC has broken its promise to deliver free education.

"More than 20 years after the end of apartheid, education is still for the rich," said one student.

In a televised address earlier, Zuma announced a zero percent tuition fee hike after a meeting with students and university officials.

"We have agreed that there should be a zero increase," he said.

The stakeholders have also agreed to set up a task team to look at broader issues affecting university students such as free education, institutional autonomy, racism, accommodation and what students call "black debt", the president said.

The government understands the difficulty faced by students from poor households and urges all affected to allow the process to unfold to find long term solutions in order to ensure access to education by the students, Zuma said.

But Zuma did not address the protesting students outside the Union Buildings despite their demand for him to do so. This made some students unhappy.

Widespread protests have been going on for days across the country, triggered by tuition fee hikes ranging from 10 to 50 percent for the 2016 school year. The fee hikes came as a result of reduction in education funding by the government.

At a meeting on Tuesday between Minister of Higher Education and Training Blake Nzimande and university vice chancellors and student leaders, an agreement was reached that tuition fee hikes would be capped at six percent.

Protesting students, however, have rejected the proposal, demanding a zero percent increase and also the curbing of high salaries of university executives. Enditem