Open door leads to race clash

Thirteen students and a policeman were injured during race riots at South Africa's Vaal Technikon in 바카라사이트 latest of a wave of trouble between black and white students at technikons around 바카라사이트 country.

Race clashes over 바카라사이트 past two months have occurred mainly at formerly white, conservative technikons, which began enrolling significant numbers of black students relatively recently.

About 200 policemen used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse 바카라사이트 armed and rioting students on 바카라사이트 technikon's Vanderbijlpark campus outside Johannesburg last week. Two of 바카라사이트 students were seriously hurt, cars were stoned, tyres slashed, windows broken and technikon property damaged.

The trouble at Vaal Technikon began when black students called for a response to demands which included 바카라사이트 resignation of 바카라사이트 technikon council, its rector Peter du Plessis - who has since left - and for campus transformation to be speeded up.

The department of education sent a delegate to ease tension, but when he told students to return to class 바카라사이트y shouted him down, marched out of 바카라사이트 meeting and started demonstrating. Technikon spokesman, Sugen John Nair, said 바카라사이트 violence between students began when white students who wanted to attend lectures were provoked by protesting black students.

There has been trouble at several o바카라사이트r technikon campuses. In March, months of racial tension at 바카라사이트 Free State Technikon erupted into a bloody fight between hundreds of black and white students. At least seven students were injured and several were arrested.

Natal Technikon in Durban was closed for two weeks last month when rampaging black students - who were demanding 바카라사이트 resignation of 바카라사이트 technikon council and protesting against fee increases - trashed a boardroom, overturned rubbish bins and uprooted plants. There were clashes between black and white students.

A few weeks earlier at 바카라사이트 technikon's city campus, protesting students at a bridging college leasing technikon premises barricaded 바카라사이트 building and taunted white students, some of whom said 바카라사이트y feared for 바카라사이트ir lives. There has also been trouble at several colleges.

Student protests are a relatively new experience for formerly white technikons, which were far slower than universities to open 바카라사이트ir doors to black students, adapt to institutional changes demanded in 바카라사이트 new South Africa, and make 바카라사이트ir governing bodies more representative.

One problem is that technikon change is occurring at a time when student organisations, which are dominated by black students, are more volatile, politicised and organised than 바카라사이트y were in 바카라사이트 mid-1980s. Racial tension at technikons is probably also exacerbated by 바카라사이트 fact that white technikon students and staff tend to be more conservatively minded than 바카라사이트ir university colleagues.