MPs call for urgent action on dental technicians
A standoff between CPUT and the SA Dental Technicians Council is preventing students from completing their practical training
South African MPs have urged immediate intervention to resolve a seven-year dispute between the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) and the South African Dental Technicians Council (SADTC). The conflict has prevented dental technology students from completing their training. The dispute centers around new facilities at CPUT for dental students and an accreditation dispute dating back to 2019.
Students claim their academic program has been disrupted since May 2025, and CPUT has been forced to relocate students to laboratories on its Bellville campus for practical training. The SADTC's president noted the training laboratories were illegal and a health hazard. However, CPUT asserts the new labs in Tygervalley are now compliant.
The council insists a longstanding dispute over registering students poses a challenge. Legal action is pending, with a court dismissing CPUT's request for an urgent interdict. MPs warned the situation poses an oral health crisis for the country and called for urgent mediation.
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