University of Cape Towns student accuses UCT of academic and financial exclusion in exclusive

• University of Cape Town students stopped the academic year's first day of lessons when they protested fee blockages and accommodation issues
• Students who could not register for the academic year or access student housing slept in the offices of the SRC and other societies
• Briefly News spoke to one of 72 learners whom the university served with eviction notices who slammed the university's actions and accused them of
• Two UCT students spoke to Briefly News’s Human Interest reporter, Chuma Nontsele about their involvement in the ongoing protest

Tebogo Mokwena, a dedicated Briefly News current affairs journalist, contributed coverage of international and local social issues like health, corruption, education, unemployment, labour, service delivery protests and immigration in South Africa during his seven years at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.

CAPE TOWN, WESTERN CAPE — More than 1000 students marched to the University of Cape Town's (UCT) administrative building on 17 February 2025 to hand over a memorandum demanding that it lift its fee blockage and allow returning students to access accommodation. One of the students spoke to Briefly News, who has been left out in the cold and has struggled to continue his studies.

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What's happening at the University of Cape Town?

According to Daily Maverick, UCT students spent the first month of the year occupying the offices of the Student Representative Council (SRC) and other societies because they could not register for the academic year or access funding. The SRC, in a letter to the university, said students face accommodation, financial, academic and mental health issues which have been ongoing throughout the year.

SRC's demands to UCT

The SRC also noted that multiple attempts to engage with the university haven't yielded any fruit. It also slammed the university for eviction notices to 72 students staying in vacation accommodations over alleged failures to pay fees.

The SRC demanded that the university prioritise accommodation relief and not evicting students. It also called on the UCT to provide students with emergency accommodation. The leadership said they would embark on a protest if the demands were not met.

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Student left out in the cold

One of the returning law students, who did not want to be named, spoke to Briefly News about his experiences. He shared the eviction notices that the Western Cape High Court served the students earlier this year. He said the university refused to allow him to register because of the fee block. He has also been prevented from viewing his exam results.

"The university does not care that students are sleeping on floors of SRC offices and that weave to beg residents to give us food. Most of these students don't have blankets. We find ourselves dealing with students sleeping in the cold," he said.

He said his experience was dehumanising and said the university refuses to provide them with basic needs.

UCT students share involvement in ongoing protest

Two young scholars shared their involvement in the ongoing UCT financial exclusion protest with Briefly News. One of the affected students, Siphesihle, said:

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“I have been involved in the protest since the mass meeting on Monday. The protest has been a way to stand up for fellow students who are struggling to register, who struggle to afford their education because of financial barriers that are impossible to overcome. Many students are frustrated with the rising costs of tuition and limited options for financial aid.”

Another student, Unako, explained the frustrations of being financially excluded:

“I am NSFAS funded and I come from a low income background. Both of my parents are unemployed. My dad has a kidney failure and my mom has a heart condition. I am their first child to go to university. My parents have always struggled to financially support me since first. I have survived by washing people’s wigs, selling wigs and work suits but that was not enough.

“I experienced the fee block in second year. I have tried applying for loans with no luck. I tried looking for help from different organisations still, with no luck. I was stuck with the block until the SRC fought for a tuition decrease. I unfortunately got another fee block last year and I couldn’t access my transcript to apply for bursaries.

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“I decided to join the process to spread awareness and get help. We want the institution to make a plan because us students who come from low income backgrounds are struggling to get our transcripts. They say education is the key to success yet that education is being taken away from us.”

CPUT students also out in the cold

Students from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology have also been left without student accommodation. The University explained that they cannot house the unhoused students as all of the residences are full.

Wits students embark on a hunger strike

In a related article, Briefly News reported that postgraduate Wits University students embarked on a hunger strike to protest against the university's exclusion. The students have been excluded from registration for the academic year.

The SRC said that some students are sitting at home because they cannot afford to pay a 50% deposit to be registered. The university explained that 800 students have been granted university funding.

Source: Briefly News