Police officers and journalists dodged rocks‚ bottles and other projectiles just after noon as protesting students attempted to break through perimeter fences at the Union Buildings on Friday.

State Security Minister David Mahlobo was booed when he attempted to calm the sitauation by telling the protesters that President Jacob Zuma would address them.

Mahlobo said that Zuma was meeting with the students’ representatives inside and was “working hard” to establish and “amicable way forward“.

Burning barricades – using portable toilets‚ tyres and other materials were seen at the side entrances to the buildings‚ as sporadic running battles erupted between police officers and students.

At least two breaches of security fences could be seen on live television footage.

Police had earlier called for reinforcements as students tried to pull down the barriers.

Just before 11am‚ a man who appeared to be an induna and who seemed to have the respect of the marchers managed to restore a degree of calm‚ but this appeared to be short-lived as thousands more students arrived.

Students could be heard shouting at police officers “you want to shoot us‚ your children”‚ and demanded to be given access to the seat of the South African government: “’We are your children‚ let us through‚ we want to see Zuma.”

The latter was a reference to the meeting Zuma had called with university vice-chancellors‚ students representatives and other stakeholders at the Union Buildings‚ where an estimated 10000 students were expected to gather.

The march‚ one of the largest in recent history‚ is for free and quality tertiary education.

For over a week‚ thousands of students under the #FeesMustFall campaign banner have brought tertiary education in South Africa to a standstill.

The campaign has garnered international support with students across the world marching on South African embassies‚ holding silent protests and candlelit vigils.

On Friday‚ marchers‚ whose songs included that of the national anthem‚ could be heard as they gathered at the nearby Burgers Park in Pretoria.

Students‚ whose campaign has generated a groundswell of public support‚ are calling for a scrapping of tertiary institution fees.

This week’s marches saw students storming the parliament precinct in cape town as the finance minister delivered his mid-term budget speech‚ with students on Thursday besieging the African National Congress’ headquarters.

Zuma‚ who is expected to address marchers later on Friday on the lawns of the Union Buildings‚ had been conspicuous in his absence around the protest‚ with many of those taking part in the protest calling for his and Higher Education Minister‚ Blade Nzimande’s dismissal.

Student protest leaders outside the Unions Buildings appeared unhappy with the people said to be representing them inside the seat of South Africa’s government.

Protest organisers handed out a pamphlet on Friday morning‚ expressing displeasure that the meeting called by Zuma would include the Democratic Students Organsation‚ the South African Students Congress and the South African Union of Students.

“We‚ the #NationalShutdown collective‚ would like to reject this notion‚” the flier said‚ adding that it is “a non-partisan collective of students‚ staff and workers who reject the exclusionary and exorbitant fees of higher education and learning”.

“We‚ the students‚ have suspended our differences for the national goal of #FeeMustFall #FreeEducation.”

The statement contained a not-so subtle threat as the collective send a memorandum of demands it gave to government on Wednesday is “not to be negotiated”.

“It is a list of demands‚ not requests.

The #NationalShutdown collective said it “rejects” Friday’s meeting “for a select few‚ as it is divisive”‚ and reiterated that Nzimande had until noon to address its demands and “publicly respond to the whole student body of South Africa”.