Jacob Zuma backs down on third-level fees in South Africa

South African president Jacob Zuma has backed down over increasing third level tuition fees next year following a week of protests that culminated on Friday in clashes between police and demonstrators outside his official office in Pretoria.

From early morning students from across the country began gathering in their thousands on the sprawling lawns in front of Union Buildings to hear what Mr Zuma had to say after meeting student leaders and university officials.

The meeting was prompted by protests that began last Friday at Witswatersrand University in Johannesburg and then spread to the majority of third-level institutions across the country, shutting many of them down for the week.

Students participating in the “Fees Must Fall” campaign maintain the proposed fee increases of between 10 and 12 per cent for the 2016 academic year would make third level studies unaffordable for many poor black students already struggling to make ends meet.

As the week progressed an offer to cap the tuition fee increases at 6 per cent was rejected, and protests often became violent as tensions began to rise. On Wednesday 29 students were arrested after protesters stormed parliament during a budget speech.

Rather than address the students in person yesterday, Mr Zuma gave a televised speech at 3pm local time in which he confirmed “there will be a 0 per cent increase of university fees in 2016”.

“In the long term there is a package of issues that was raised at the meeting that needs to be followed up. These include free education, institutional autonomy, racism, accommodation and what the students call black debt, to mention a few,” he said.

Mr Zuma said he convened the meeting to discuss the tuition fee “stalemate” between students and university management, but he also wanted to be briefed on other issues of concern by the parties.

“The meeting agreed that government needs to lead a process that goes wider than fees looking at the higher education sector,” as well as funding mechanisms to support the sector’s transformation.

It was also decided that exams scheduled for next month would be pushed out to December to give students time to prepare, given many institutions have been closed for days.

While most students appeared overjoyed by their victory, a small number gathered at Union Buildings expressed anger that Mr Zuma did not address them in person.

They subsequently attempted to gain entry to government buildings by pulling down sections of a fence erected to protect it, and then threw stones and other items at the riot police stationed outside.

In return, police fired teargas, stun grenades and used a water cannon on the crowd, sending thousands running from the lawns and into the central business district where they turned proceeded to torch a number of police cars.

A number of those seen firing missiles at the riot police were wearing African National Congress Youth League and Economic Freedom Fighter T-shirts.

Further violence broke out in Cape Town, where students marching to the city’s international airport along the main highway were stopped by police and turned around using stun grenades.