UKZN calm after protests

21 September 2015 - 02:01 By Matthew Savides

After a week of violent clashes at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, there was relative calm at the institution's campuses and residences at the weekend. The university was forced to shut its doors last week after students clashed with police and campus security. A building and two vehicles were torched at UKZN's Westville campus and a bus was set alight by protesting students in Pietermaritzburg. The damage is estimated at R32-million.Students were reportedly complaining about the increase in registration fees and also demanding safer residences. But according to the university, students had not formally sat down with management to outline their complaints, saying the students' demands kept changing.Spokesman Lesiba Seshoka said: "You can't have a protest where people are burning your buildings, but have not told you formally what their issues are."Students will remain in university residences this week, despite the institution being in recess.Seshoka said the recess meant no further teaching time would be lost ahead of exams...

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