WATCH: South African university transforms into a flaming battleground as protests turn ugly

Students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) in South Africa set up flaming barricades and pelted police with various missiles as demonstrations against fees spiralled into violence.

The skirmishes broke out as students staged protests against paying 15 percent of historic debt accrued by the university, as well as perceived financial exclusion.

Eyewitness footage shows student protestors engaging in violent clashes with police and faculty members, having erected flaming barricades made of dormitory furniture.

A professor, believed to be in his 70s, was attacked and subsequently taken to hospital for treatment, after reportedly being assaulted with a brick.

Staff have been advised to avoid the road that has been the major flashpoint of the clashes, but authorities have yet to close the university down, according to local media reports.

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