Thousands of protesting students and their supporters, including pastors and parents, marched to Parliament on Wednesday as Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan prepared to deliver his medium-term budget policy statement.
"We are going to block [Gordhan and his team] from entering parliament," said a CPUT student who said they planned to stop Gordhan's speech.
But they were met by a heavy police contingent that included the Western Cape's top cop, Lieutenant-General Khombinkosi Elvis Jula, and his deputy, Major-General Thembisile Patekile.
Before his speech, Gordhan accepted the students memorandum that included demands for a corporate tax, a wealth tax and an education tax for "wealthy persons and for all monopoly industries listed on the JSE to service the implementation of free quality education by January 2017".
As Gordhan delivered his speech, pandemonium erupted on the streets outside parliament after a cardboard coffin was set alight and hurled at the police.
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