S. African police clash with protesting students

Riot police on Wednesday fired rubber bullets and stun grenades to disperse protesting students at the University of Western Cape.

Violence flared up after a number of campus buildings, including the finance office, have been set alight during a day of protests on the campus in Cape Town.

The students hurled bricks at the policemen, hitting one of them on the head.

Police sent in reinforcement to contain the situation but to no avail. Several students were arrested.

The university has been hard hit by protests in the past month. At first, the students demanded that plans to raise tuition fee hikes be scrapped. But after President Jacob Zuma announced last month that there would be no fee hikes for 2016, then the students demand that free education be provided.

In other parts of the country, protests have died down and exams have resumed.

At the UWC, the students were supposed to write their exams at 12:30 local time on Wednesday, but before midday protests turned violent, disrupting the exams.

The protesting students called for all the exams to be cancelled until their demands are met.

Even unprotesting students were attacked by protesting students, a witness said.

A university dinning hall was looted as the situation went out of control.

The government has established a task team to address student concerns, including free education and institutionalized racism.

Free education is a promise made by the ruling African National Congress (ANC). In its 52th congress in 2007, the party made a resolution to have free education in seven years. The ANC has been criticized for failing to keep its promise. Enditem