A stun grenade was fired at a crowd of protesters apparently rattling the gates of the Stellenbosch police station following the arrest of four Stellenbosch University workers on Tuesday.

Crowds of workers and students were making their way through the streets after the four were arrested during protest action against outsourcing.

Bins were set alight at the Neelsie student centre and in Victoria Road earlier in the day.

A heavy police and traffic enforcement presence was keeping an eye on the crowd.

A security guard employed by an external company said the workers were taking to the streets “or else we will die in poverty”.

“The day I get paid, my money only lasts until the evening. I have a family to support and I work hard at my job every day.

“But I don’t see what I labour for – my company walks away with most of my pay. We have no benefits, just a lousy pittance we are expected to live on.”

Workers warned they would continue to protest until they were in-sourced “like our comrades at [University of Cape Town]”. News24