South African students injured during fees protest

Three students were hurt during a rally against university fee increases in South Africa, at which protesters threw stones and burned tyres and police fired rubber bullets and stun grenades, one week into demonstrations at universities across the country.

South African universities initially wanted to increase tuition fees by up to 11.5 per cent, prompting students to launch the campaign of protests that began on October 13th.

Critics say the move will further disadvantage black students in Africa’s most advanced economy.

About 150 students at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) in the Eastern Cape were involved in running battles with police, who fired rubber bullets and used stun grenades to disperse the crowds.

It was not clear what caused the injuries to the three students, police said.

The students have already rejected a proposal hammered out by some student leaders, university dons and higher education minister Blade Nzimande on Tuesday that would cap fee increases at 6 per cent for 2016, in line with inflation at 4.6 percent.

The finance minister is expected to deliver the national medium-term budget from parliament today.

Classes suspended

At least 14 universities across the country are taking part in the demonstrations.

Campuses have suspended classes due to the protests.

Twenty-three students at the University of Cape Town (UCT) were arrested on Tuesday and later released.

Police said they would face charges of disrupting the peace.

University students have also burned tyres outside parliament in Cape Town.

South Africa’s overall student population is mostly black.

It is often hampered by tight funding and the lingering effects of discrimination dating from white-minority rule.

University administrators have said that without much bigger subsidies from the government, they have no option but to raise fees to maintain academic standards.

Reuters