Elevate your local knowledge

Sign up for the iNFOnews newsletter today!

Select Region

Selecting your primary region ensures you get the stories that matter to you first.

South African student leader is injured in protest

South African student leader is injured in protest | iNFOnews.ca
Students demonstrate downtown Pretoria, South Africa, Thursday, Oct. 20, 2016. The students were granted last minute permission to walk to the Union Building. Protests calling for free education have sometimes turned violent, and have affected many South African universities since last month. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

JOHANNESBURG – The student council at a leading South African university says a student leader was hit multiple times in the back by police rubber bullets during a protest for free education.

The council at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg said on Twitter that Shaeera Kalla, a former council head, was being treated for 13 rubber bullet wounds at a hospital Thursday.

The university says four students were injured by rubber bullets and two were hospitalized. It says police dispersed a group of protesters who had disrupted lectures and tore up test papers toward the end of a chemical engineering exam.

Sometimes violent protests for free education have hit many campuses in South Africa since last month. Some universities are struggling to finish the academic year because of the unrest.

News from © The Associated Press, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Join the Conversation!

Want to share your thoughts, add context, or connect with others in your community?

Create a free account

The Associated Press

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.

Related Articles