Looters smash through the shopfront of a Braamfontein store, robbing it, on 10 October 2016.
JOHANNESBURG - In what many were expecting to be a winding down of Monday's escalation of tensions in the #Fees2017 protests, just after sunset the windows of the Puma store on De Korte Street, Braamfontein were smashed and the shop looted.
While police stormed down the street after the first rocks smashed the shop-front windows, they soon left again, giving the looters a gap to finish the job.
1. #Braamfontein #Fees2017 protests take the next step. #Looters start smashing @Puma shopfront. Disturbed by police. @eNCA pic.twitter.com/G9UIaqVJK5
— Scott Smith (@S_P_S) October 10, 2016
2. Looters manage to get through @Puma shopfront following #Braamfontein #Fees2017 protests. Numerous people take the opportunity. @eNCA pic.twitter.com/gpDJ82EIF9
— Scott Smith (@S_P_S) October 10, 2016
3. Police chase away the remaining @Puma looters in the shadow of #Braamfontein #Fees2017 protests. Instigators unlikely students. @eNCA pic.twitter.com/FsZgTT6RDo
— Scott Smith (@S_P_S) October 10, 2016
Monday's tensions on the Wits campus and the surrounding area of Braamfontein were a step up from protest action last week.
It is unclear whether the looters were Wits students or not.
The university says lectures will continue throughout the week, despite the protests around campus.
Wits says it remains committed to talks with students but these can’t come at the expense of the academic programme. Management also guarantees that no student will be barred from writing examinations over unpaid fees.
Most of the country’s universities remained closed on Monday as running battles between police and protesting students, demonstrating under the #FeesMustFall banner, took place.
Wits has called for an end to the protests, adding that there will be no amnesty for anyone involved in criminal activities.
