Students, cops at odds in KZN

RUNNING battles between police and students erupted for the second consecutive day at the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Westville campus yesterday.

Police used rubber bullets, teargas and stun grenades as they clashed with students at the Oval residence on campus, and later at the P-Block residence. Traffic into the campus was stopped by security.

One student shouted from behind a dustbin lid he was using as a shield: “Tell the VC (vice-chancellor Albert van Jaarsveld) to shut the campus down or we will close it ourselves.”

His dustbin lid had a number of small dents where it had been struck by rubber bullets.

Students warned journalists to stay away. “Get out of the way or you will get hurt,” shouted a student. Moments later, a bottle landed in front of a car being driven by a journalist, who drove off.

One student could be seen using a slingshot from a bathroom window in the Oval residence. A number of petrol bombs were thrown, but they appeared to have little effect in the wet vegetation surrounding the Oval. It had rained on Monday night.

Debris littered the road, and one police officer had blood running down one of his arms, although he appeared to be unconcerned about his injury.

A student held up a sign saying “#FEES”. More rocks and bottles were thrown. A police officer responded by shouting “You throw like a girl…”