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Roundup: Violent student protests against fee hike escalate in S. Africa

Xinhua, September 28, 2016 Adjust font size:

Violent student protests against fee increases escalated on Wednesday in parts of South Africa, forcing the closure of several major universities.

The University of Limpopo became the latest hotspot where protesting students clashed with police.

Witnesses said police fired rubber bullets and stun grenades to disperse the students, injuring several of them.

Press reports indicated that there might be some fatalities. But police in Limpopo Province denied that there were fatalities at the University of Limpopo during the violent protest.

Police spokesperson Brigadier Motlafela said reports about fatalities were inaccurate, adding that the situation remained tense and police were monitoring the protest.

Meanwhile, academic activities at some universities, including the University of Cape Town and the Wits University in Johannesburg have been suspended due to student protests that erupted earlier this month after Minister of Higher Education and Traning, Blade Nzimande, announced that universities can raise fees, provided that it does not exceed eight percent.

Students have vowed to paralyze all institutions of higher learning if their demand for zero-percent fee increases is not met.

Also on Wednesday, the Parliamentarian Select Committee on Education and Recreation said it is alarmed by increasing incidents of student protests in various tertiary education institutions across the country.

"While the Committee accepts and supports the call for free tertiary education for the poor, achievement of this goal should not come at all cost, especially with regard to the future of the students," said the Committee Chairperson Lungelwa Zwane.

Vandalism and destruction of property does not assist in resolving the challenge but exacerbates the problem and reverses the gains already made, she said.

The silence by parents in this debate is also worrying as they remain an essential role player within the education sector, Zwane said, calling on parents, churches as well as all sectors of society to engage students to dissuade them from any destructive behaviour.

"It is only through collaborative efforts by society in general that will we overcome this challenge," she added. Enditem