The fees commission handed its interim report to President Jacob Zuma on Thursday.

Zuma would study the report, compiled by Commission of Inquiry into Higher Education and Training, and give directions on the way forward, the Presidency said in a statement.

Cosatu on Thursday announced it planned to hold a national strike to demand free education.

Commission chair Judge Jonathan Heher submitted the interim report to Zuma, after only three of the proposed eight sets into which the commission had divided its work had been completed. The commission is looking into the feasibility of fee-free higher education in South Africa.

“The structure was determined with an appreciation that no properly informed recommendation could be submitted by the commission without a full understanding of the factors that control and influence higher education and training in South Africa,” the Presidency said.

Protest action over fee-free tertiary education has severely impacted South African universities in recent months.

Zuma established the commission in January and gave it eight months to complete its work. The deadline had since been extended to June 30, 2017.

Cosatu said it had informed the National Economic Development Labour Advisory Council (Nedlac) it planned to declare a national strike for free education.

"The federation strongly believes that education is not only a socio-economic matter but is also a human rights issue,” it said in a statement.

“Nedlac is a platform where society can engage in a sound dialogue to find a sustainable solution to the current impasse on education funding.

"Our failure to find a sustainable solution on time will have a huge negative socio-economic impact on our society."