Pretoria 28 Sep (ANA) - The cost of destruction to property in South Africa’s tertiary institutions following weeks of protests has reached 600m rand ($ 44m; £ 34m), according to Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande. The minister said this was damage that the country could not afford and added at it unfortunate that the government would have to foot the bill. Students have been protesting in various parts of country following an announcement by Mr Nzimande that universities can increase their tuition fees by up to 8%. The protesting students are demanding free education, which was a promise made by the ruling African National Congress when it took power in 1994. Some institutions have had to suspend lecturers in the last couple of weeks and heighten police presence on campuses. Last year saw similar protests, forcing President Jacob Zuma to freeze fee hikes for the year.(ANA)

FA/ANA/28 September 2016-------