CPUT shuts campuses, orders students out of residences as protest turns violent

The Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) has given students 24 hours to vacate all university residences and suspended all academic activities with immediate effect as a two-week student protest over the proposed 2027 financial recovery plan turned violent.

Staff members will continue working remotely while the university campuses are closed until further notice.

Students have accused the institution of introducing new financial requirements that they say will make it increasingly difficult for financially disadvantaged and National Student Financial Aid Scheme (Nsfas)-funded students to register and access accommodation.

One student, who asked not to be named, said students had been told they would have to pay R3,500 for registration and a further R3,500 for residence registration from next year, even if they were Nsfas beneficiaries.

“We were told that you also have to pay 30% of your debt. At the same time, Nsfas only pays between R50,000 and R55,000 for accommodation, while our residences cost about R65,000 to R70,000 a year. Unfortunately, we cannot afford to pay the remaining amount, so it accumulates every year,” she said.

Another student, Lizole Xhaya, said students would not leave their residences despite the university’s instruction.

“We received communication today [Tuesday] to vacate our residences. We are not going anywhere. We do not agree with what the institution wants to introduce,” Xhaya said.

He said students had previously been allowed to register after signing an acknowledgement of debt (AOD), but this will change next year.

Xhaya said attempts to continue teaching online over the past two weeks had also been disrupted by other students.

Another student, who identified himself as Xola, said he was from Qumbu in the Eastern Cape and had no relatives in Cape Town.

“I truly don’t know what will happen if we are forced to leave. My mother survives on a government grant, and she won’t be able to afford to send me transport money to go home,” he said.

The SRC said the protest followed years of frustration among students who had “exercised patience” while dealing with deteriorating residence conditions, financial exclusion, administrative inefficiencies and delayed service delivery.

These issues had been compounded by university decisions which the SRC believes undermine students’ constitutional right to accessible higher education.

Among its demands, the SRC is calling for the immediate maintenance and refurbishment of all CPUT-owned residences, saying residence infrastructure should reflect the fees students are required to pay.

It is also demanding that student wellbeing be prioritised beyond simply providing accommodation.

The SRC wants all students affected by the Nsfas accommodation cap to be immediately allowed to collect their academic transcripts and qualification certificates, regardless of outstanding accommodation-related debt.

It is further calling for the immediate withdrawal of the proposed 2027 financial recovery plan and the retention of the existing AOD system until an alternative has been properly consulted on and agreed with students.

Among the other demands are a reduction in residence fees that exceed the Nsfas accommodation cap and an independent forensic investigation into the university’s finances, including greater accountability for major financial decisions.

On Tuesday, CPUT said fire officials had responded to the burning of the Old Education Building at its Bellville campus on Monday evening.

“While no one was injured in this latest arson attack, it is a grave concern that the level of violence is now escalating to a point where someone is likely to be seriously injured or worse,” the university said.

Continued violent disruptions, the torching of buildings and attacks on institutional infrastructure had forced it to close all campuses and immediately evacuate residences.

“Unruly individuals, acting in bad faith, with the sole purpose of making the university dysfunctional, have left management with no choice but to act swiftly and decisively.”

The university said the evacuation was intended to address safety concerns and de-escalate the violence.

Over the past five days, CPUT said, its campuses had experienced acts of violence and disruption that had resulted in harm to students and staff and significant damage to university property across three campuses.

The damage reportedly includes broken windows, a burnt vehicle, damage to a classroom, flooded buildings, damaged health and safety equipment, damaged perimeter fencing and security equipment, damage to the recently restored Ikamva building, and the breaking into and damaging of a cafeteria.

CPUT condemned the violence, intimidation and destruction of university property, saying the disruptions were affecting its infrastructure and its ability to fulfil its academic mandate.

Meanwhile, students have vowed to continue their protest and said they plan to march to parliament to hand over a memorandum detailing their grievances.