by Our Foreign Desk

THOUSANDS of students demonstrated outside the headquarters of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) yesterday in protest at a sharp rise in university tuition fees.

Student groups want a fee freeze after universities announced an increase of 10.5 per cent.

Protests took place at universities across the country and students took to the streets of Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town.

In Johannesburg, thousands marched through the city to Luthuli House, the ANC offices. Students read out a list of their demands and called for free education.

ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe, who met the students but was not allowed to give a speech, condemned the “unilateral decision-making by some institutions to raise fees for the next academic year.”

“Their project is clearly the intention to exclude the poor,” Mr Mantashe said, with the ANC opposing “any exclusionary policies” drawn up by universities.

Meanwhile, the ANC chief whip’s office — which speaks on behalf of MPs — expressed concern at the “disproportionate and unnecessary” degree of force used by police against students protesting on the grounds of parliament on Wednesday.

Police reportedly used water cannon, which can cause serious injuries, to break up a protest yesterday at the Department of Education.

“Parliament is an institution of the people that is open and welcoming to all South Africans, including the protesting students,” ANC parliamentary spokesman Moloto Mothapo said.

President Jacob Zuma is due to meet student leaders and university heads in the capital Pretoria today.