WATCH | More fiery protests at UKZN as fees impasse continues

Arson cases continue at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, with a student health centre and another vehicle going up in flames on Monday.

Metro police spokesperson Senior Superintendent Parboo Sewpersadh said a car was set on fire on the university’s Edgewood campus, which houses its school of education, during protest action on Monday.

At the Howard College campus, meanwhile, an office at the HIV/Aids centre was burnt, as well as an office for student residence affairs.

“Two separate acts of arson were ... committed on the campus between last night and the early hours of this morning," said the university in a statement on Monday.

"An office at the same HIV and Aids centre was set alight around 11pm last night and an office at the department of student residence affairs was set alight around 5am this morning.

"University RMS immediately attended to and extinguished both fires.” 

Last week another student's car was burnt at Howard College, while the security risk management centre at Westville campus was also set on fire.

The protests broke out on Monday last week at the university's Howard College and Westville campuses. Students are protesting over funding issues - particularly the 15% of their historic debt that they are required to pay before they are cleared for registration.

Mphathi Majola, chairman of the Howard College SRC, told TimesLIVE that they had reached an impasse in negotiations with management.

“[Negotiations] have broken down and there is no agreement between the SRC and management. The management is maintaining their position that they will continue to impose the 15%, among other issues. But also the students are clear ... that they do not have that money,” said Majola.

He added that students were not involved in any of the arson cases. “We would like to distance ourselves from this. We do not think students were the ones who did this. There is no proof to the effect that it was students,” he said.

The university said that they could not afford to make any further concessions.

“Following extensive deliberations on the matter of student demands, university management has decided that it is not possible to grant any further concessions, without putting the university at risk of bankruptcy," it said.

“We cannot act in a way that is destructive of the university’s very foundations and would be self-defeating for the entire student body and future generations. The university cannot concede to what it cannot afford.”

Sewpersadh said on Monday afternoon that the situation was calm on all campuses and that police were monitoring the scene.

“Security has been further bolstered and every effort is being made to ensure that the academic programme proceeds as scheduled without any further interruptions,” added the university.