Police fire rubber bullets at student protesters accused of damaging property

Police fired rubber bullets and sprayed tear gas at a group of protesters outside the University of Kwazulu-Natal in Pietermaritzburg on Monday night.

Tensions were heightened at the campus as students embarked on protest action late on Monday afternoon.

Police were called in when campus security battled to control the crowd.

KZN police media spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Thulani Zwane said police fired rubber bullets at the protesters who damaged property and started fire blockades on the road.

He said there were no reports of injuries.

Zwane said the roads around Scottsville had to be closed to contain the protesters.

He said there were reports of damage to cars in the residential area and that police were investigating.

Police were still in the area at about 9pm.

Last week two venues were burned at UKZN — the Howard College coffee shop on Tuesday and the Pietermaritzburg main exam hall a day later.

 TMG Digital/Durban Bureau