UJ classes to continue despite protests

JOHANNESBURG - Management at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) says that academic activities at the institution will continue despite ongoing protests for free education. 

Yesterday some of the demonstrators moved off the Auckland Park campus and onto Kingsway Avenue where they blocked off traffic outside Campus Square shopping mall. 

Similar protests took place at UJ's Soweto facility.

Students at the university have vowed to continue demonstrations despite managements warning that their protests are not permitted.

During the course of the day police fired rubber bullets to disperse students who were singing and chanting near robots right outside Campus Square.

The protestors have vowed to continue shutting down the institution for the entire week. 

Meanwhile the university says graduations expected to take place today will continue as scheduled.

Meanwhile at the University of Cape Town, vice-chancellor Dr Max Price says if student protests persist, the rest of the academic year will be at serious risk.

Lectures at the university remain suspended for a second week.

Price says there will be consequences if the university remains shut.

“If we continue beyond the end of next week, we probably can’t complete the academic year and that has rather disastrous consequences for the students themselves, as well as for the university.”

The vice-chancellor says they're hopeful the number of demonstrators will be down by next week.

At the University of Witwatersrand, an investigation is underway into the death of a cleaner who inhaled fumes from an extinguisher which was set off during the protests last week.

The worker was treated on the campus before being rushed to hospital but died shortly after being discharged.

(Edited by Neo Koza)

 

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