UPDATE: Wits protest turns violent

UPDATE: 19 October 2015, 5:45pm – Protesting Wits students brought traffic to a stand still earlier this afternoon following protest action in Braamfontein.

It is reported that students attacked vehicles that was passing by in Braamfontein.

According to reports, the students said that they attacked the vehicles after they were threatened by motorists to run them over on the streets.

The crowd dispersed following the arrival of JMPD officers who threatened to fire rubber bullets at the crowd.

According to reports, the students made their way back to the Wits campus to be addressed by council members.

View some tweets about the protest below:

INITIAL REPORT: 19 October 2015, 11am – This includes lectures, examinations, assessments and practicals, and will affect all students and staff on all campuses, including the Medical School and affiliated hospitals, said the university in a statement.

Wits students and some staff members had embarked on a three-day campus shutdown against fee increases by the university for 2016.

The university said, following an intense and protracted engagement between protesting students and members of the Executive Committee of Council, it was agreed that:

• The University will suspend the decision on all fee increases made for 2016. There will be no increase until negotiators reach an agreement
• The negotiations pertaining to fee increases will resume anew
• In the eventuality of negotiations breaking down, the university will not revert to its initial decision
• A new framework for negotiations will be jointly agreed upon in which any final decision of council on this matter will ratified by a university assembly
• There will be no disciplinary action taken against students or workers who participated in the protest, and no workers will face dismissal as a result of their participation in the protest.

The agreement was signed by the chairperson of the Executive Committee of Council, Dr Randall Carolisssen, and Shaeera Kalla, the outgoing SRC president.

The council held a meeting on 18 October to deliberate on these matters they are expected to report to the students on 19 October midday.

Social media reaction after Wits suspended the fees hike for 2016: