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S. African police fire rubber bullets at protesting students

Xinhua, October 4, 2016 Adjust font size:

Police on Tuesday fired rubber bullets and stun grenades at protesting students at Wits University in Johannesburg as efforts to resume class failed.

Students defied police orders to disperse, saying they would not stop protest against fee increases.

The protest escalated despite a majority of students voted in favor of returning to class on Monday. Last week, most students at Wits University voted to end protests through cellphone SMS.

Police said they fired rubber bullets and stun grenades after being attacked by students with rocks.

Hundreds of students marched through the campus as a strong contingent of police was deployed to maintain order.

Also on Tuesday, student protests took place at the University of Cape Town and some other institutions of higher learning in the country.

All academic activities at several major universities have been suspended for about one week due to the protests against fee increases.

Protests erupted late last month when Minister of Higher Education and Traning, Blade Nzimande, announced that universities can raise fees for 2017, provided that it does not exceed eight percent. Enditem