Police and security officials are on high alert after protesters set fire to a building and damaged property at the Westville campus of the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

SRC president Sanele Hlongwa confirmed that there a was protest at the Westville campus on Wednesday.

He said he wasn't aware of who was behind the fire or the protest‚ adding that the SRC had met the university's management on Tuesday. An agreement had been reached that students would not embark on any protest action at any of the campuses pending the finalisation of meetings to address their grievances.

Footage of the building on fire has surfaced on social media with a warning to students to stay away from lectures.

When journalists visited the campus on Wednesday‚ there was a heavy police and security presence.

This follows attacks earlier in the morning during which university property was damaged. A quad bike was torched at the risk management service building while the guard house building's windows were damaged.

Members of the SAPS‚ the public order policing unit as well as Mi7‚ a private security company contracted to UKZN‚ were on standby.

According to a member of Mi7‚ who spoke on condition of anonymity‚ they were deployed from the Howard Campus.

"When we got here‚ there was a standoff with about 20 students‚ most of them wearing balaclavas. We are working with two different groups‚ the EFF and Sasco‚ perhaps someone was not happy with the outcome of yesterday's meeting."

Lectures were suspended at the campus last week when students went on the rampage‚ burning a guard hut.

The university said a statement would be issued shortly.