Zuma freezes 2016 university fees

October 23, 2015 12:18 PM

Universities had proposed fee hikes of up to 11.5 percent next year, arguing they need higher fees to keep up standards.

President of South Africa Jacob Zuma sits before he addresses attendees during the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. headquarters in New York, September 28, 2015. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

South Africa's President Jacob Zuma ruled out fee increases for universities next year following a week of nationwide protests by students that culminated in a mass gathering outside the main government offices on Friday.

Thousands of students from Wits and the University of Johannesburg marched through South Africa's commercial capital on Thursday to Luthuli House, the headquarters of the ANC, where they handed a list of demands to officials.