The University of Johannesburg has been rocked by news of a fight allegedly involving 30 white and black students at the institution. 

The fight left many of those involved with swollen lips and black eyes. It comes barely three days after ANC Youth League president Julius Malema visited the university and controversially sang the "Kill the Boer" struggle song.

According to a reporter, the fight took place at the Banton Road Campus in Auckland Park during the university's culture hour. It happened at the last day of the three-day Student Representative Council elections. Apparently tensions between black and white students have been heating up ahead of the elections and Malema's visit may have pushed tensions beyond boiling point.

Most of those who took part in the fight were bleeding but the university's security personnel managed to stop the fight before it escalated.

Meanwhile, the ruling ANC defended the youth leader for singing, "shoot the boers, they are rapists" saying the lyrics of the song had been quoted out of context.

ANC spokesperson Jackson Mthembu said the song was an old struggle song that Malema learnt from his ANC colleagues. There were many songs in South Africa's history that could offend people, he said. "I know of songs that sing of generals... but let's leave that aside," he said declining to name the song. The song Malema sang was not meant to attack boers, said Mthembu. – Additional reporting by Sapa