SA students protest against Afrikaans!

CHAOS erupted at the North West University campus in Potchefstroom yesterday.

It happened after students tried to force their way into the university's office buildings.

Cops and security guards pushed them back and there was a stampede after a stun grenade was fired.

Then more students came, but cops stopped them from entering.

The students started their protest in town. They marched to the university singing: "Rona re a tsena, re tla ka masepa, dumelang mesono ya lona" (we are entering, we come with shit, hello mother-f****s).

Their leaders read out a memorandum demanding transformation. They want English to replace Afrikaans as a medium of instruction.

Other demands were about the report on a missing R10 million, disbanding of the "all-white" university council, more black students and firing of corrupt staff members.

They called for compensation for the family of a student who died last year and the reinstatement of students whose qualifications were nullified.

The students said they want the merger of the Vaal, Unibo and Potchefstroom campuses to be undone and separate universities reinstated.

Vice-chancellor Professor Dan Kgwadi promised to put their demands to university council.

The marchers, some from the Mahikeng and Vaal campuses, then dispersed peacefully.