South Africa universities close amid student fee protests

Protests over fee increases have forced the suspension of teaching at three of South Africa’s top universities. Protests have spread from Johannesburg’s Wits University, closed last week after thousands demonstrated on campus, to the universities of Rhodes and Cape Town (UCT). Wits University agreed to suspend a 10.5% tuition fee increase on Friday, pending negotiations […]

Protests over fee increases have forced the suspension of teaching at three of South Africa’s top universities.
Protests have spread from Johannesburg’s Wits University, closed last week after thousands demonstrated on campus, to the universities of Rhodes and Cape Town (UCT).
Wits University agreed to suspend a 10.5% tuition fee increase on Friday, pending negotiations with students.
Protesters argue that poorer, mainly black students would be worst affected.
A statement from Wits University said that a decline in state subsidy over the years, combined with inflationary pressures, were behind the fee increases in recent years.
The hashtag #FeesMustFall has been trending across South Africa, in an echo of #RhodesMustFall, which was used by UCT students in their successful campaign to have a statue of British colonialist Cecil Rhodes removed in April.