WATCH | Police use stun grenades and rubber bullets to disperse Rhodes students

At least 13 Rhodes University students were arrested on Friday for defying a court order preventing further protests relating to the proposed student debt management regime.

About 100 students arrived at the 1820 Settlers National Monument, where the university was holding a graduation ceremony. They then started protesting at about 8.30am, prompting police to intervene.

SAPS spokesperson Brig Nobuntu Gantana said the operational commander read out a court order from the high court in Makhanda that barred protest action aimed at disrupting graduation proceedings.

Eastern Cape police have arrested 13 Rhodes University students for allegedly violating a court order barring them from protesting. The arrests were effected on Friday morning outside Settlers Monument where a graduation ceremony was underway. More on the story to follow.… pic.twitter.com/zZGAwnK1Zt— Sowetan (@Sowetan1981) October 2, 2026

She said the crowd was given ample time and warnings to disperse peacefully but did not comply.

Gantana said the public order police unit then moved in to clear the area, using stun grenades and rubber bullets. The 13 arrested protesters, aged 19 to 23, were charged with contravening a court order.

Students, however, gave a different account, claiming they were sitting peacefully outside the monument when they were told to leave within five minutes and that police used teargas and chased them once the time was up.

“We weren’t doing anything; we were sitting on the grass, and then we were told we had five minutes to leave, and then after the five minutes ended, they started throwing teargas and started arresting students,” one said.

“We weren’t blocking the road or trying to get inside the monument; we were on the grass, and they said they’re giving us five minutes to leave because we’re not allowed to protest, then they started chasing us and arresting some of us,” said another student.

The arrests come after tensions have been rising at the university since the beginning of the week. The students are against the university’s new protocol on the payment of student fees, which takes effect in 2027. The new regime will require self-funded students to pay part of their existing debt before they can register next year.

The university said the payments were important to manage its cash flow.