The Durban University of Technology (DUT) suspended its academic programme on Monday following student protests to demand free education.

University spokesperson Alan Khan initially said that the decision had been taken to suspend lectures at the Indumiso campus in Pietermaritzburg, but later it was decided to suspend the academic programme at all campuses.

Khan said: “We couldn’t compromise on students' safety.”

In Durban, students marched between the four campuses – Steve Biko campus, Ritson Campus, ML Sultan Campus and the City Campus – singing struggle songs and demanding the elimination of fees.

There were reports that some students attempted to remove students from lectures and classes at the ML Sultan Campus.

Referring to the protests in Durban, police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Zwane said: “The situation is tense at the moment and members are on the scene. A fast food outlet was destroyed by protesters. No arrests have been made.”

It is understood that it was a Chicken Licken store that was invaded by students.

He said that in Pietermaritzburg at the Indumiso Campus there was a protest involving some 400 students.

“We can confirm that 400 students are protesting outside Indumiso Campus. The situation is calm at the moment. Members are at the scene to monitor the situation,” he said.

With the exception of two broken windows at the City Campus, there were no immediate reports of violence or damage to property at the institution, which has a student body of about 27 000 students.

The institution had been closed last week and Monday marked the start of the fourth term.

Khan said the interim vice chancellor, Dr John Vollmink, had written to staff, students and alumni on the latest situation regarding fees following the announcement by Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande last week that fees could be increased by as much as eight percent, but that government would provide extra funding for the poorest students.

He said that the institution was urging all students who protest, to do so peacefully and to respect the rights of those who did not want to protest.

Khan said that police and the university’s security were monitoring the situation. The academic programme was only suspended for the day.