Arsonist yesterday set fire to two Rhodes University exam venues and burnt to the ground the tennis clubhouse in an afternoon in which protesting students and police clashed repeatedly.
The biggest exam venue, Alec Mullins Hall, appeared only slight damaged after the fire on the wooden floor was quickly put out by campus security.
Another venue known as the Hangar also had some fire damage.
The tennis clubhouse, close to several other small buildings housing various departments and institutes, was badly damaged.
By 7pm six students had been arrested and the sound of gunfire and stun grenades was coming from all corners of the campus.
Police locked down and searched two nearby independent schools – St Andrews College and Diocesan School for Girls – after protesters from the university fled onto their grounds.
One witness said a protester had been shot with rubber bullets at the SAC campus before being arrested and taken away.
School pupils were confined to their residences during the searches.
During the afternoon police repeatedly charged and opened fire on groups of protesting students who clustered behind burning and other makeshift barricades made from doors ripped out of buildings and ping-pong tables from residences.
One student’s eye was damaged when she was shot in the face with a rubber bullet while trying to give first aid to another injured student.
She swore at a group of police as she was half-carried to a nearby car to be taken to hospital.
“Why the f**k would you shoot someone giving medical aid to another student. You pigs.”
Several students climbed a pole on the corner of South and Prince Alfred streets on campus to whack CCTV cameras out of position with a crutch.
Journalists were warned not to take photos.
The protests were reignited on Tuesday when the university announced there would be extraordinary security measures at exam venues, including that students arrive an hour early for a pre-exam body search, that they produce photo identity and that they stay in lockdown in the venue for the duration of the exam.
Many traumatised students feel they cannot write exams at all with the current level of violence on the campus.
Last night the university made a major concession that students could choose to write either now or in January next year.
Students were given till 4pm today to make their choice.
The university said those who chose to write in January would have 48 hours to vacate their residence rooms.
It warned that the January exam period would be shorter and no supplementary exams could be written afterwards.
Currently, students who achieve 35% or more in the November exams have the option to write a free supplementary exam in January.
“This will be your FINAL bite at the cherry,” the university warned.
The statement might have been intended to be placatory but it had the opposite effect.
“Too little, too late,” declared a protester.
Protesters said the notice to leave campus was too short and students did not have money for transport or to come back for exams in January.
Earlier today, Provincial Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) head Bongiwe Tukela arrived at Rhodes and announced to protesting students that the police oversight body would investigate all allegations of police brutality against students.
She said two investigators with her in Grahamstown would assist them to draw up their complaints, which would then be investigated.
Students say police have used extraordinary force against protesters, while police say they have used only necessary force to quell the protests.
Last night the small campus resembled a battlefield – it was littered with spent stun grenades and other cartridges as well as debris from barricades, piles of rocks and shattered glass bottles.