Cape Town - The son of University of Cape Town vice chancellor Max Price was one of the students arrested at Parliament on Wednesday.
According to reports, UCT’s spokesperson Pat Lucas confirmed that Ilan was among the students arrested after chaos broke out at Parliament, interrupting – but only briefly – Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene’s Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS).
The son of liberation Struggle stalwart Reverend Frank Chikane was also arrested.
They were part of thousands of students from Cape Town’s various higher learning institutions protesting increases in fees and outsourcing of labour. This was a spillover of the #FeesMustFall protests which began at the University of Witwatersrand last week.
“We are angry. We don’t know what we are being charged with or why we were arrested,” said UCT student Kgotsi Chikane from the back of a police van.
On Thursday morning police said the conduct of its officers inside and outside Parliament was above board during Wednesday’s chaotic scenes which saw members of public order policing engage in running battles with protesting students.
“We are satisfied with the manner in which the situation was managed by police outside Parliament today (Wednesday), despite being constantly provoked by the students,” said police spokesman Vishnu Naidoo said in a statement.
“Further criminal action against those that may have transgressed the law will be considered. Thus far 30 students have been arrested in regards to the incident outside Parliament and they are likely to face charges including Trespassing and Public Violence.”
The arrested students are expected to appear in court on Thursday.
Students were also bringing an application in the Western Cape High Court to interdict the SA Police service from “infringing on their rights to peaceful protest”.
The application was postponed on Wednesday and was supposed to be heard at 8am on Thursday morning.
SAPS was set to oppose the application, and are expected to argue the students’ breach of Parliamentary security made it an illegal act.
IOL and ANA