Students at the entrance gate to the Union Buildings.
Despite fears about violence and reports of violent behaviour at Parliament in Cape Town and other venues, the students at the Union Buildings are relaxed and the protest has a distinctly carnival atmosphere. Students are coming and going, some eating and drinking from water bottles in the heat others heading up to the fence put in place temporarily by the authorities.
Students at the mass demonstration.
Police presence is strong.
Students at the mass demonstration.
There is a strong police presence on all sides of the large Union Buildings gardens and the Government Road which passes between the edifice designed by Sir Herbert Baker, who also built India’s parliament and much else besides, is closed to traffic and pedestrians. A police helicopter is also circling overhead.
Police presence is strong.
A particularly welcome element of the protest was the wide range of races represented, with Black, White and other groups all working and talking together. Given the country’s Apartheid past and the large numbers of demonstrations during the Apartheid Era, this is a very positive change.
Student organisations are demanding that President Jacob Zuma address them and he is reported to be at the Union Buildings along with other cabinet ministers, but so far no-one has addressed the crowd.
Relaxed students at the demo.
Around 12 p.m. local time, the demonstration continued to be peaceful and it is hoped it will remain that way. One potential problem is some students were starting to march down adjacent streets which the police prevented.
Students calling for a radical change.
UPDATE:
The peaceful atmosphere has been shattered by the sound of stun grenades, which can be heard in the entire neighbourhood. Unfortunately, access to areas where students are facing off with police at the fence has been stopped, so Digital Journal is not able to be present there. At least eight grenades have been fired and reports say students are throwing stones. (It is clear these stones were not picked up in the Union Buildings gardens, there is no indication where the stones might have come from).
Here, some students take to the main street at the bottom of the Union Buildings on Stanza Bopape Street (formerly Church Street).
Students take to the street, something the police want to stop.
UPDATE 2:
Following an address by President Jacob Zuma in which he indicated there would be no increases for 2016, some students rioted and police have fired more stun grenades. The demonstration has sadly degenerated into police actions and those of a small minority of students who turned violent. At 3:45 p.m. local time police are firing more tear gas and stun grenades and the South Lawn of the Union Buildings is largely empty.
