Police, students clash over tuition fees hike

Police in the South African capital Pretoria clashed with students who burned tires and erected barricades in protest at university fees on Wednesday, a day after President Jacob Zuma appointed a special team to help end weeks of protests. The often violent demonstrations over the cost of university education, which is prohibitive for many black […]

Police in the South African capital Pretoria clashed with students who burned tires and erected barricades in protest at university fees on Wednesday, a day after President Jacob Zuma appointed a special team to help end weeks of protests.
The often violent demonstrations over the cost of university education, which is prohibitive for many black students, have highlighted frustration at enduring inequalities more than two decades after the end of apartheid. Zuma on Tuesday formed a ministerial team to help end the protests but his government has said education subsidies should not come at the expense of other services such as health or housing. It also said 2017 university fees may rise by up to 8 percent.
Police fired rubber bullets and stun grenades to disperse the protesters, News24 Online service said. Some students are demanding all universities be shut down until the government provides free education.