Zuma was speaking at the Union Buildings in Pretoria following a meeting he held with various stakeholders including university councils. His announcement was preceded by chaotic marches staged by thousands of students at different universities in Johannesburg, Cape Town and the Union Buildings in Pretoria over plans to increase tuition fees by 10.5%, which was later capped at 6%.
The students from institutions including Witwatersrand University rejected the increase and demanded free higher education.
Zuma said it was agreed at the gathering that the vice chancellors of the universities would extend the period of writing the final 2015 exams to compensate for the time lost during the protests.
“We agreed there will be a zero increase. Discussions will continue looking into the broader issues than fees,” said Zuma.
