Vehicles were prevented from entering the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Westville campus as students and police clashed.
|||Durban - Security guards were turning away vehicles at the main entrance to the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s (UKZN) Westville campus as students and police clashed.
University spokesman, Lesiba Seshoka, said: “It’s terrible at Westville today (Thursday), the clashes started at about 9.30am.”
He said classes had not yet been suspended, but that could change.
He said university security had been instructed to turn away all vehicles trying to gain access to the campus as the situation was volatile and people could get caught up in the violence and risk having their cars damaged.
On Twitter, Sine B Msibi said: “Strike at Westville, stun grenades, students be safe!”
Another student, Kerishini, said the campus had been turned into a “war-zone”.
“There are explosions, tear gas and fires. Also, I just got an email saying I have a prac today. Frustrated? Me too.”
The latest violence at UKZN follows a threat by the ANC-aligned South African Students Congress (Sasco) that it would back a national university shutdown on Thursday and Friday.
Sasco president, Thabo Moloja, said the government had not made progress since last year’s 0% fee increment.
UKZN and the DUT had earlier said classes would resume as normal on Thursday because there had been no talks of a shutdown with student leadership.
“We, as a university, will continue to open and expect students to be in class. We live in a democracy, if students are persuaded not to go to class and they agree, it is their choice,” Seshoka said.
Alan Khan, DUT spokesman, said today that classes would resume as normal and there had been no discussions with the SRC on shutting down.
Sasco demands included:
* President and his deputy to meet student leaders.
* De-militarisation of campuses and removal of extra security and police on campuses.
* The minister to pronounce on a sector-wide implementation of the missing middle product.
* Debt clearance of the missing middle by Treasury and private sector, and institutions to commit no exclusions for the next academic year.
* Amnesty to arrested students and staff.
* Establishment of workers and student ombudsman against victimisation.
* All worker issues to be resolved.
* Opening of campuses and resumption of academic year.
Daily News