Thousands of angry South African university students have capped a week of protests with a march on the buildings in Pretoria where President Jacob Zuma has his offices.

Police had set up guard around the building before a scheduled address by Mr Zuma. The students chanted slogans, argued with the police and pulled down a fence around the building, as the post-apartheid generation starts to flex its political muscle.

"He's not taking us seriously, we've been here for a while," one student said on television.

Student leaders met Mr Zuma and university professors at the Union Buildings to press their case, arguing the costs of tuition are too high for many blacks, perpetuating South Africa's racial inequalities.

"The President will use the meeting to gain a first-hand account from students about issues that are of concern to them which affect their capacity to learn and do well at the institutions," the presidency said in a statement.

"President Zuma also welcomes the gathering of students at the seat of government, the Union Buildings."

Tuition fees vary across different universities, but can run as high as £3,000 for medical students in a country where white households earn six times more than black households, according to official figures.

Protests - some of them violent - have broken out at universities across the country this week, taking the ruling African National Congress (ANC) by surprise.

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