Cape Town - More University of the Western Cape (UWC) students have been arrested as violent protests at the campus continued for most of Wednesday.

Earlier riot police had attempted to restore order to the Bellville campus after students started fires at several university residences on Wednesday morning.

Exams, which were meant to take place, were halted at both the Bellville and Cape Town campuses.

News24 reporter Tammy Petersen said Lorna Magobiane of the #FeesMustFall movement told her that 11 students had been arrested in total. This included the five students who were arrested in connection with the assault on campus staff earlier in the day.

UWC spokesperson Luthando Tyhalibongo said a female security officer was also threatened at knife-point.

By late afternoon, there was a tense standoff between at least 100 students and police.

Protestors looted a cafeteria, tossing chocolates, lollipops and cool drinks to one another.

There were also reports that students, using the lids of bins as shields, chased security guards while photographer Lulama Zenzile snapped a picture of a student running off with a security guard's gun.

Students also removed furniture from residences, stacked them high and set them alight while other students shouted, "Don't do this please".

While it was not yet clear what sparked the protests, Tyhalibongo said a splinter group of the #FeesMustFall movement began starting fires in the bins at residences in the early hours of the morning.

According to a SRC member, the university council was supposed to meet with the #FeesMustFall movement on Tuesday but failed to do so. This was understood to be the reason behind the latest protests.

Petersen said protesting students have demanded that no exams be written.

This article first appeared on News24 – see here.