UCT rocked by student protests against fee blocks, housing crisis

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Students marched from UCT’s main plaza on the upper campus to the university’s main administrative building to deliver a memorandum calling for the removal of fee blocks, among other demands. The demonstration reportedly drew thousands of participants.

In the lead-up to the start of the academic year, many UCT students without accommodation occupied spaces such as lecture halls and Students’ Representative Council (SRC) offices.

EFFSC

The protest also follows UCT’s recent announcement that there will be no lifting of fee blocks or fee concessions in 2025. The Economic Freedom Fighters Student Command (EFFSC) at UCT has strongly condemned this decision, calling it a move that disregards the financial struggles of students and exacerbates the risk of financial exclusion for thousands.

In a statement, the EFFSC highlighted that the university’s decision came after weeks of negotiations between management and the SRC, yet was made without council deliberation. This, according to the student body, is unprecedented and signals a disregard for student concerns.

“There have been multiple attempts to silence student leaders during this crisis through intimidation tactics disguised as ‘consequence management,’” the EFFSC stated. “We reject such actions by UCT. The university cannot continue ignoring student voices, only to suppress them when they are raised through alternative channels.”

The EFFSC has also criticized UCT for allegedly backtracking on agreements made with the SRC, creating uncertainty for students. The student body is now demanding that the university publicly announce all agreements reached with the SRC to ensure transparency and accountability.

UCT responds

UCT has responded to the protest in a statement, saying it noted the protest action by a group of students. "This emanates from issues regarding fee debt and student housing (including transit and vacation accommodation).

"UCT wishes to reiterate that measures have been put in place to support as many eligible students as possible, as outlined in the communication issued by the vice-chancellor on Friday, 14 February 2025.

"We acknowledge that students have the right to embark on peaceful and legitimate protest action on campus. Regrettably, access to the upper campus was restricted and some lectures were impacted on Monday morning. Campus Protection Services were on site and attended to the various disruptive incidents across campuses.

"We have therefore reached a decision to move some teaching to the online platform. Further updates will be provided by deans in collaboration with heads of departments. As the UCT executive, we regret the impact this has had on the university community, and appreciate the patience, tolerance and understanding shown so far," it said.