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South African University Students Chastised by President Zuma for Torching Buildings

Renewed student protests in South Africa devolved into chaos and clashes with security forces at North West University, forcing the administration to cancel classes indefinitely on Thursday.
Photo by Mike Hutchings/Reuters

Students at North West University in South Africa awoke to an empty campus and canceled classes Thursday morning following unrest the previous evening, which saw the burning of an administration building and science center.

Recent demonstrations calling for lower tuition and improved housing climaxed on Wednesday when the university's students set fire to a car and campus facilities, forcing an indefinite shutdown of the campus. The university said that the outbreak of violence caused millions of dollars in damages.

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South African President Jacob Zuma railed against this particular incident in a statement on Thursday, as well as a spate of other disturbances at universities over grievances that have turned some campuses into battlegrounds.

"The burning of university buildings at a time when we are prioritizing the education of our youth is inexplicable and can never be condoned," Zuma said. "No amount of anger should drive students to burn their own university and deny themselves and others education. Grievances should be handled in a peaceful manner."

Students have torched the admin building at NWU. I am done. — Marius Redelinghuys (@MariusMR)February 25, 2016

At least four universities have been hit by sporadic protests since January following last year's nationwide marches by students protesting against university fee increases. This time around, however, the demonstrations have now morphed into varying complaints affecting individual campuses, unlike the more unified #FeesMustFall demonstrations.

North West University spokesman Koos Degenaar told Talk Radio 702 that the violence there began after protesters disrupted a student council meeting and the selection of the new student government, prompting security guards to fire tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd.

Photos circulated on social media of the unrest, bloodied students, and ammunition allegedly used on protesters. Rumors spread quickly on the social media site about a student said to have been shot and killed, but school officials and authorities denied the reports.

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pic.twitter.com/eN7kiWek0H" byline="— Siyabonga Sesant (@4everSiya)" user_id="4everSiya" tweet_id="702747494892105728" tweet_visual_time="February 25, 2016"]

Private Security have Nyala now?? ???? — mathi (@mathidube)February 24, 2016

Protect student lives & safety. Demand SRC democracy. Respect facilities for advancing education. — Equal Education (@equal_education)February 25, 2016

At the University of the Free State, a group of mostly black protesters brawled with mainly white spectators at a rugby match on Monday night, as seen on a clip that aired on social media.

"The residences were evacuated from the morning and the campus has completely shut down (as) there was too much damage," a student who declined to be named said.

At the University of Pretoria, some students are demanding to be taught in languages other than Afrikaans, a language they identify with apartheid. And at the University of Cape Town (UCT), students are protesting at a lack of adequate campus accommodation.

"UCT has come in for its share of vandalism and violence," UCT vice chancellor Max Price said, adding that on Thursday students threw excrement across the floors of many lecture venues and open spaces in several buildings on Upper Campus.

Studies have been disrupted and some universities have closed over new demands springing up as the new school year gets underway, even after Zuma yielded in October to student demands not to increase university fees in 2016.

He promised at the time that his government would spend more to help poor students meet the cost of university education. When South Africa announced its 2016 budget plan this week, which included billion of dollars in spending cuts, the finance minister also said schools would receive a funding boost.

Students have argued that higher fees would disadvantage black learners, who had little access to universities during decades of white apartheid rule, which ended in 1994. The fee increases have been discussed as a means to offset the per-student government subsidies, which have been reduced in recent years.

University demonstrations over the last year have reached out to broader issues beyond tuition fees. In March of 2015, for example, students at the University of Cape Town led an eventually successful movement for the administration to remove the statue of Cecil Rhodes, a prominent 19th century politician businessman in Southern Africa. For many in South Africa, especially among younger generations, Rhodes has become a symbol of colonial legacy and racism.