By Wendell Roelf and Mfuneko Toyana
CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - South African riot police fired stun grenades on Wednesday at hundreds of protesting students who stormed the parliament precinct in Cape Town to try to disrupt the reading of Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene's interim budget.
As chaos erupted around the building, Nene, standing calmly at the podium inside the chamber, continued to read his speech, in which he outlined the gloomy outlook for Africa's most advanced economy.
The speech was delayed by 45 minutes as MPs from the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party raised multiple questions of order, arguing the budget should be delayed because of student protests over a hike in tuition fees.
Scuffles broke out as parliamentary security guards were eventually called in to remove the EFF members by force.
At that point, pandemonium broke out as hundreds of students demanding the government scrap planned increases in tuition fees stormed the parliament compound.
"We were pushed back by police with force. The stun grenade was shot right next to my ear. I still have the buzzing in my ear," said Motheo Lengoasa, a student at University of Cape Town as others chanted and sang songs demanding the fees be reduced.
Earlier she was assisted by fellow students after lying prostate on the ground in front of the entrance to the National Assembly where Nene was speaking.
"This looks like 1976 all over again," she said referring to the Soweto uprising where police killed at least 69 students who were protesting against plans to teach them in Afrikaans.
STUDENT REVOLT
Many of South Africa's universities have been hit in the past week by the student protests, some of them violent.
President Jacob Zuma, who wore a stony expression through Nene's speech, has not commented on the protests. Many students will have no recollection of apartheid and thus little emotional allegiance to the ruling African National Congress.
South African universities initially wanted to increase tuition fees by up to 11.5 percent, prompting students to launch their protest campaign on Oct. 13.
Critics say the move will further disadvantage black students, who are already relatively under-represented.
The protesters - who include white learners - have rejected a proposal from some student leaders, university dons and Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande to cap fee increases at 6 percent for 2016, just above inflation.
At least 14 universities are involved in the demonstrations, which have led to the suspension of some classes.
University bosses said the increases were needed to maintain standards, and called on the government to find the extra funding.
"We need to find a sustainable way of dealing with the issue of financing education in general, and in this instance because of the crisis we are facing, we do need to find a solution," Nene told reporters before reading his speech.
In his budget speech, Nene cut his deficit estimate for the year 2015/16 marginally to 3.8 percent of GDP from 3.9 percent forecast in February.
The deficit is projected to narrow further to 3.3 percent in 2016/17 before reaching 3 percent in 2018/19.
Nene said the economic growth forecast for 2015 had also been cut to 1.5 percent from 2.0 percent forecast in February.
"Electricity supply constraints, falling commodity prices and lower confidence levels have resulted in our growth forecasts being revised lower," he told parliament.
(Additional reporting by Johannesburg bureau; Writing by James Macharia; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)