About 40 students arrested in connection with public violence and vandalism at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) this week are expected to appear in the Bellville Magistrate’s Court on Friday.

They were arrested on Wednesday after they went on a rampage after management allegedly failed to pitch for a scheduled meeting to answer to a list of 40 demands from students.

The demands related to the Fees Must Fall campaign for free education.

The students allegedly set a building alight and broke windows and glass doors.

Meanwhile, the University of Cape Town (UCT) has confirmed an attack on two private security guards by protesting students on its Upper Campus earlier this week.

UCT says one was beaten up by a group of protesters near the food court while the other had a rock dropped on his head from an upper storey of the Steve Biko Students’ Union building.

UCT spokesperson Elijah Moholoala says one of the guards is in hospital in a serious condition.

He says initial reports on the incidents indicate that these attacks were unprovoked and deliberate, but Campus Protection Services and the police are investigating both incidents.