Police fired stun grenades at students protesting on York Road, Parktown, near the Wits Medical school, this morning.

This happened shortly after Rob Sharman, head of student housing, had asked students to make way for patients going into Charlotte Maxeke Hospital.

About 30 students ran up York Road in a bid to get away from the police who proceeded to chase after them on foot.

Nokulunga Skhosana, a second year Pharmacy student said that it was a scary moment.

“They started saying we must open the path for the ambulances and we did, then after that they just started firing shots at us. Then we ran away,” she said. “It was very scary. You always think you’re ready for it, but you’re actually not.”

A policeman could be heard saying that “Stun grenade se tla fedisa bo cleva. Ke re le pa pa ga ye two and di glass tsa wa” (“Stun grenades put an end to arrogance. I threw two stun grenades and heard glasses landing on the ground.”)

Earlier on, Sharman told Wits Vuvuzela that he was there to protect students and to prevent altercations between students and police from getting out of hand.

Students have reconvened on York Road but Med School is open for students who want to go to class.