CPUT students defy order to leave residences
Only a few students have left their residences after university gave them 24-hours to leave
Most students at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) remained in their residences on Wednesday despite being told to vacate within 24 hours. This followed days of protests about the financial exclusion of students, some of which turned violent and resulted in property destruction and assaults. The university initially instructed students to leave by 4pm on Wednesday, but student leaders at a mass meeting on Wednesday urged the crowd to stay.
By 4pm, only a few students had left. Thabang Nhlapo, a civil engineering student from Limpopo, expressed his reluctance to return home and the financial difficulties he faced. Central Student Representative Council (SRC) deputy president Membathisi Tumelo Ndzimande declared the evacuation order unconstitutional, stating that many students lacked funds for immediate travel and were involved in work commitments.
Students mentioned that the university had previously restricted WiFi and water in residences during protests. CPUT spokesperson Lauren Kansley affirmed that there was no intention of forcibly evicting students and that the evacuation was effective. Kansley noted that student leaders had not participated in meetings with the CPUT council, and residence coordinators were supporting vulnerable students in their return.
Security was heightened to prevent intimidation of students leaving campus. The university's current student debt amounted to R2.1-billion, and the financial recovery plan for 2027, which proposed a registration fee of up to R7,000 for non-NSFAS students, was withdrawn on August 12. However, protests persisted, with demands for the withdrawal of the financial recovery plan and other improvements to campus facilities and student support.
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