VOC News was on the front-lines outside parliament on Wednesday, as protesting students from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) and University of Cape Town (UCT) voiced their displeasure at government’s refusal to scrap proposed tuition fee increases.

Students have expressed dismay at the decision of several tertiary institutions to increase university fees for the 2016 academic year by as high as 11.5%, and have been involved in nearly week long protests to contest the hikes. While government and universities have since announced that increases will be capped at 6%, students remain angered by the high cost of higher education.

In dramatic scenes on Wednesday, protesters successfully stormed through the gates of parliament into the parliamentary precinct, with police resorting to the use of teargas and stun grenades to disperse the crowds.

VOC News arrived on the scene shortly afterwards, engaging with protesters on the grievances. The following  images were taken: