Damaging Protests Prompt Portfolio Committee on Higher Education’s Visit to University of Fort Hare
- The Portfolio Committee on Higher Education is set to visit the University of Fort Hare in the Eastern Cape
- This comes after the damaging recent student protests at the university in the Eastern Cape
- The demonstrations allegedly destroyed university infrastructure valued at between R250 million and R500 million
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On Tuesday, 21 October 2025, the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education will visit the University of Fort Hare in the Eastern Cape, following recent student protests.
Source: Twitter
Parliament intervenes at UFH
During the week of 6 October 2025, students at the University of Fort Hare took to the streets, demanding democratic Student Representative Council (SRC) elections after the university had appointed an interim SRC. They argued that the appointment was unlawful and undemocratic.
Protesters also called for the resignation of Vice-Chancellor Sakhela Buhlungu after the extension of his contract, saying it violated higher education governance norms. The protests destroyed university infrastructure valued at between R250 million and R500 million.
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Students clashed with police
The protest escalated, with students clashing with the police and security personnel. It is alleged that live ammunition was used, which reportedly resulted in two students being injured. The protests caused fires at the administration, agriculture, and staff centres on the Alice campus, while the education building at the East London campus was torched.
As a result, the parliamentary committee stepped in. The committee will oversee the Alice campus to identify what caused the protests. Class will resume online on Monday, 20 October 2025.
Source: Twitter
Other stories about student protests
Students at the University of the Free State have accused the institution of collaborating with lobby group AfriForum and promoting a pro-white agenda. The Students have been protesting since Wednesday, 8 October 2025, over the university’s decision to scrap provisional registration, a policy set to take effect next year. They demand the cancellation of provisional registration. Speaking to Newzroom Afrika, the students stated that they want all students to be allowed to register despite owing the university.
Students of the Wits University in Johannesburg started protesting against financial exclusion. The scholars came together to fight for every student prohibited from continuing their studies at the institution. While the marching and singing mostly happened in the streets, some students interrupted lectures in order to be acknowledged by the school. In a now-viral TikTok video, scholars barged into a classroom and startled the educator with their behaviour.
The Walter Sisulu University (WSU) denied that the person who was killed during the protest at the Mthatha campus was a student or a staff member. It also condemned the incident and said a staff member's wife was injured during the protest.
Wits University students embark on a hunger strike
Earlier, Briefly News reported that students from the University of the Witwatersrand have been on a hunger strike since 14 February 2025.
The returning postgraduate students allege that they could not register and want their demands met. They asserted that they would not eat until the university attended to their demands, and South Africans were confused
Source: Briefly News
