UKZN Maritzburg campus closed after violent clashes between students and police
After a day of often violent clashes - during which one woman was injured after being struck on the arm by a police-fired projectile - the University of KwaZulu-Natal has officially suspended the academic programme at its Pietermaritzburg campus. Students and police clashed throughout Thursday after some protesters set fire to university property and blocked roads in the provincial capital. Protesters also hurled rocks at police and at one stage even threw teargas canisters from their residence windows. Police in turn fired rubber bullets‚ stun grenades and teargas at students. A statement issued on UKZN social media channels by vice-chancellor Albert van Jaarsveld said: "In an effort to restore calm on the Pietermaritzburg campus‚ all academic activities have been suspended for today‚ 22 September‚ with immediate effect". "Please note that the suspension is for today only and that lectures will resume tomorrow morning. It is hoped that during this period we will be able to locate and arrest those individuals that are perpretuating violence on the campus." At about the same time as the communique was issued‚ students used desks to barricade Alan Paton Avenue‚ one of the main roads that runs through Pietermaritzburg. Police‚ however‚ quickly cleared the debris.- TMG Digital/The Times..
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