Burger, however, said he did not find this worrying. He said students were frustrated that they were not taken seriously by authorities because they were black.
"What they are implying is that as long as there are black students that are targeted, the authorities are not concerned, but if white students were targeted it would cause a reaction. They are implying to the authorities that it looks to them that they don't see this matter seriously enough because it's mostly black students."
On Tuesday, students and police clashed as Wits University reopened its doors. Seventeen students were arrested.
Police fired rubber bullets and teargas at students after they attempted to break a police chain. Some students then threw stones at officers.
International relations lecturer David Hornsby was injured during the protests. Wits spokesperson Shirona Patel said it appeared that he had been outside with the protesters. He had a bandage on his head, but she did not know the extent of his injuries.
Protesters broke the back window of a police vehicle. According to well-placed sources within the emergency medical service, casualties included both police officers and protesters.
Campus shutdowns
A police officer was brought to the emergency room at Milpark Hospital. The sources told zaupdatesthat a high-ranking police officer had sustained a serious head wound when he was struck by a brick.
Two other officers were also injured in the melee. Ten others, understood to be students, were rushed to hospital.
zaupdates understands that police officers have opened a case of assault. Police could not immediately be reached for comment.
Student protesters have periodically shut down a number of campuses nationwide as they called for free education following an announcement by Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande that fees would increase by no more than 8% for those from households that could afford it.
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