In a statement issued shortly after the two incidents, the university said: “It is regrettable that the university has had to deal with wanton criminal behaviour by protesting students since Monday this week. The university strongly denounces the criminality.
“Inasmuch as we respect the students' right to protest, there is no excuse for any act of violence and damage/destruction of valuable university resources and property,” it said.
Unrest broke out at the university on Monday when students protested about financial exclusion and other funding issues.
“The majority of students have not been able to register because students are now required to pay 15% of their historic debt before they are cleared for registration.
“The argument now is that students do not have that money. Part of the battle here is the issue of financial exclusion,” Howard College representative council chairperson Mphathi Majola told TimesLIVE on Monday.
On Tuesday, two students from the university and seven from Unisa appeared in the Durban magistrate's court on charges of public violence. They were released on R500 bail each.
They will be back in court on April 8.
UKZN security building petrol bombed during student protest
Image: Supplied
A security control centre at the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s (UKZN) Westville campus was set alight during a student protest on Wednesday.
According to police, about 600 students were spotted making their way to the building with petrol bombs during the early hours of the morning.
“The security guards fled the scene and returned a short while later and found that the building had been set on fire,” said SAPS spokesperson Brig Jay Naicker.
No arrests were made and a case of public violence and arson was opened, he said.
Meanwhile, hours later, at the university’s Howard College campus, a crowd of protesting students set bins on fire on Princess Alice Avenue, near the main gate.
WATCH | Police fire stun grenades at protesting Unisa students in Durban
In a statement issued shortly after the two incidents, the university said: “It is regrettable that the university has had to deal with wanton criminal behaviour by protesting students since Monday this week. The university strongly denounces the criminality.
“Inasmuch as we respect the students' right to protest, there is no excuse for any act of violence and damage/destruction of valuable university resources and property,” it said.
Unrest broke out at the university on Monday when students protested about financial exclusion and other funding issues.
“The majority of students have not been able to register because students are now required to pay 15% of their historic debt before they are cleared for registration.
“The argument now is that students do not have that money. Part of the battle here is the issue of financial exclusion,” Howard College representative council chairperson Mphathi Majola told TimesLIVE on Monday.
On Tuesday, two students from the university and seven from Unisa appeared in the Durban magistrate's court on charges of public violence. They were released on R500 bail each.
They will be back in court on April 8.
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