Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande has condemned violent protests at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Students at the institution have been staging protests since last week, demanding that they be allowed to register without settling their historical debt.
Several university private properties have been set alight.
Nzimande has called on the South African Union of Students to intervene in the chaos at the university.
Nzimande’s spokesperson Ishmael Mnisi said: “Minister Nzimande further reiterates that in an effort to assist them to register, the government made a provision that all NSFAS students should be able to register, as long as they sign an acknowledgement of debt form.”
Nzimande has called on university management to tighten security.
Meanwhile, the institution has decided to suspend classes until Monday.
The university’s Ashton Bodrick said the decision to temporarily shut down the institution was taken in the best interest of the university.
Eyewitness News understands negotiations between student leadership and university management will resume during the short adjournment.