Vice-Chancellor and Principal of Witwatersrand University (Wits) Adam Habib on Tuesday, said that he offered to engage with student leaders, but they refused to meet.

“(I) met with some groups on [the] weekend and they went back on [the] agreement,” Habib said.

On Monday, protesting students declared that Wits would not be open until their demands for free education were met, agreeing with management that the academic programme would resume on Tuesday.

He said that he was happy to hold a general assembly and to work with and even protest with students to raise awareness for the issue.

The protest, which has the potential for the university to possibly shut down the 2016 academic year, started more than two weeks ago after Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande announced that state universities could hike next year’s fees, but it would be capped at eight percent.

Earlier on Tuesday, rubber bullets and stun grenades were fired at students who continued to protest at Wits.

“They say [the] fight is with government and they need to send a strong message by crippling universities. This is not fair,” Habib said the students communicated.

Habib said on Monday in a statement that anyone who was caught contravening any university rules or court interdict, or infringing on the rights of others, would immediately be held accountable for their actions, and may face criminal charges. He said that if the violence continued, the university would be forced to shut down the academic programme for 2016.