Caught in fee trap, South African university students rebel

Students sing struggle songs during a gathering as Academic staff and church leaders protest demanding free tertiary education at Johannesburg's University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, October 7, 2016. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A protest against prohibitive fees threatens to derail South Africa's university calendar but impoverished students like Mmakatleho Sefatsa, who already face expulsion over unpaid bills, say they have nothing to lose.

The African National Congress (ANC) came to power in 1994 with promises to provide better housing, health and education for millions of blacks shut out during decades of repressive white minority rule.