GALLERY: Police shoot at protesting students, two more arrested
BRAAMFONTEIN – Wits students found themselves running after police throw stunt grenades and fire rubber bullets.
Two students have been arrested following clashes between Wits University students and police. Traffic in Braamfontein came to a standstill as once more Wits University students and police clashed.
Protesting students had decided to march in the streets of Braamfontein when they were stopped by police who ordered that they return to campus.
Student numbers had risen since the morning and once students returned to campus they stood by the gates of Jorrisen Streets, police cordoned off the students and stood in their numbers with rifles in their arms.
Without warning police threw stun grenades and fired at students with rubber bullets, students ran for cover and one student sustained burns to her body and another suffered injury to the leg.
Students retaliated and threw stones at police who kept firing back. One police member could be heard instructing his colleagues to “attack”.
Ambulance and the fire department arrived on scene and both injured students were taken to hospital for further treatment.
Students were visibly shaken after the ordeal and some yelled at police to leave them alone.
After a short break students began once more to wage war against police who retaliated by shooting back with rubber bullets. It was not long before two stone throwers were arrested by police who remained on campus after the altercation.
Naledi Sikonela a second year student said that she was shocked at what had happened as they were not posing a threat to police. “It just happened out of nowhere, one moment the police were standing there holding their rifles and the next we were running for our lives,” she said.
She pointed out that the since Monday the police had been a silent threat and that even though they were scared they would not stop protesting for free education.
