Stun grenades explode outside Parliament during budget speech

26 October 2016 - 17:25 By Aron Hyman
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Stun grenades exploded outside parliament for the second time in a year as thousands of students clashed with riot police as the country’s finance minister read out his mini-budget speech.

Students ran for cover after what had‚ up until about 3pm‚ been a peaceful protest in which students clambered over police vehicles and handed a memorandum of demands to Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan.

Journalist Tshego‚ tweeting under the handle @tshegofatsang captured the moment on video.

Student activists from universities around the country took turns lambasting government from a vantage point alongside the Louis Botha statue outside parliament as Gordhan delivered his speech.

But the confrontation started after a burning box was reportedly thrown in the direction of police.

Protesting students swarmed Parliament ahead of Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene's mid-term budget in October 2015. Pandemonium broke out as they forced their way into the Parliamentary precinct and were pushed back by police using stun grenades. Nene continued delivering his budget speech.

TMG Digital/Cape Newsroom

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