Escalating unrest as UCT students demand urgent action on housing and financial barriers

Students marching on UCT’s upper campus.(Photo: Ernst Calitz)

17 Feb 2025

The first day of the new academic year at the University of Cape Town started off with students shutting down all campus activities in protest against fee blocks and access to student housing.

The University of Cape Town (UCT) is facing escalating unrest as students protest against fee blocks and housing shortages, signalling a turbulent start to the 2025 academic year.

In a statement released earlier on Monday, 17 February 2025, UCT’s Faculty of Humanities dean, Professor Shose Kessi, acknowledged the potential for significant disruptions, noting that this year marked the 10th anniversary of the Rhodes Must Fall and Fees Must Fall movements. As student groups gathered to block campus entrances and demand action on unresolved fee debt, the university has warned that classes may be cancelled or moved online in response to the growing protests.

Thousands of students marched from UCT’s main plaza on the institution’s upper campus to the university’s main administrative building to hand over a memorandum that demands a lift on the university’s fee blocks, among other things.

In the lead-up to the mass meeting, students were forced to occupy the offices of the Students’ Representative Council (SRC) and other campus societies as they could not register for the academic year, or access student housing, due to fee blocks.

Read more: UCT students sleep in SRC offices and lecture halls as university faces housing crisis

Khanya Bente, a returning second year student who is affected by the blocks, said that they had been forced to occupy the SRC offices due to a lack of housing.

They also claim that their campus residence offers were rescinded without any prior notification from the university.

“They told us to come, they never said don’t come, but then they just turned us away,” Bente said. “We’ve had a few students having breakdowns because nobody expects to be in this kind of environment. Remember, these are offices, so it’s not comfortable.”

An interdict was enacted on 17 February 2025 that prohibits students from “participating in, or inciting others to participate in any unlawful conduct and/or unlawful protest action at any of UCT’s properties”.

Despite this, many students continued to march. SRC president Thando Lukhele told university Vice-Chancellor Mosa Moshabela that students were merely gathering, not protesting. But should their demands not be met, students could mobilise in protest.

Lukhele added that the university’s management had until the end of the business day to respond to the SRC’s demands.

Accommodation crisis escalates

On 15 February, the UCT Students’ Representative Council (SRC) issued an open letter to the university’s executive, voicing its collective concerns and outlining expectations surrounding the critical issues affecting both students and the wider UCT community. As key stakeholders in the institution’s academic and social fabric, the SRC emphasised the need for their voices to be heard and their grievances addressed with both urgency and commitment.

“The challenges we face, ranging from financial barriers, accommodation shortages, mental health support, and academic policy concerns, have remained persistent year after year, and we have noted that they have even regressed annually with no meaningful resolution,” read the letter.

The letter further stated that, while they acknowledged the university’s statement regarding student actions and the ongoing financial and accommodation crisis, they strongly disagreed with how student frustrations had been framed, and with the proposed disciplinary measures against those advocating for their right to access education and dignified housing.

The SRC has stated that the ongoing housing crisis at UCT has escalated to unacceptable levels as students who were staying in vacation accommodation have been served eviction notices, while others are being forced to sleep in the SRC offices or squat in various spaces across campus.

A student holds up a placard during the protest. (Photo: Ernst Calitz)

“We students are disheartened by the dehumanising processes the university has subjected us to as a redirect result of UCT’s failure to prioritise student housing,” read the letter.

The SRC said that students had consistently engaged with Housing regarding the issues surrounding transit and vacation accommodation. Despite these efforts, students continue to face evictions, forced removals, and undue distress, with the SRC expressing dismay over the university’s lack of engagement with those affected.

“Not a single member of UCT’s management has visited or directly interacted with the displaced students. Instead, the institution chose to criminalise those seeking a basic right to shelter. The presence of 60 (not 39) displaced students in SRC offices is a direct result of institutional failure to provide humane alternatives,” read the letter.

The SRC called for UCT to prioritise expanding accommodation relief rather than focusing on removals and eviction notices. It demanded that the university provide immediate housing solutions while working to increase student housing capacity. Additionally, the SRC called for the prioritisation of vulnerable students — those currently struggling and those who had been criminalised for seeking basic shelter. The SRC also urged UCT to secure emergency accommodation for students experiencing homelessness, extending this support beyond just first-year students.

Ongoing issues

On 14 February Moshabela addressed the ongoing issues surrounding student accommodation and fee debt, expressing concern over recent actions related to student frustration. These included the posting of posters and graffiti on the upper campus early on 13 February.

While Moshabela sympathised with the challenges students faced, he condemned any actions that could cause distress or harm to others, stressing that such conduct went against the university’s values and its efforts to heal campus polarisation. He also referenced inflammatory statements from the SRC regarding fee debt and student housing, noting that disciplinary action would be taken against any violations of the university’s code of conduct.

Moshabela addressed the vacation housing issue, noting that students who did not vacate by the agreed deadline created complications for room allocation in 2025. The university continued providing meals and transport support to these students, though approximately 39 students had not vacated by the deadline, resulting in a cost of R2.8-million. These students have been issued eviction notices but had not been forcibly removed.

Moshabela said transit accommodation, which had been prioritised for first-year students, could not be extended to returning students with outstanding fees, but the university had offered temporary accommodation for those with unresolved matters. He also noted that a small group of 39 students, staying in the SRC offices, would not be allowed to continue this practice due to health and safety concerns.

UCT’s financial relief ‘inadequate for struggling students’

Moshabela also reiterated the financial relief measures implemented by the university, which included:

A policy allowing students with debt below R10,000 to register.

Internal UCT bursaries and donor funding benefitting 1,316 students.

Fee relief measures for National Student Financial Aid Scheme-eligible students, assisting 1,171 students.

Loan agreements available for students with debts over R10,000, although uptake remained low.

SRC Assistance Funding, which had helped 26 students.

He stated that there would be no additional concessions beyond what was available within the university’s budget.

The SRC stated that many of the financial policies in place today were a legacy of institutional racial segregation. The university was not originally designed to accommodate the current demographics, and as a result, many students continued to face significant financial barriers that prevented them from registering, attending classes, and completing their studies.

Students march on UCT’s upper campus. (Photo: Ernst Calitz)

“While the university has outlined ‘financial relief measures’, these fall short of addressing the harsh reality on the ground. Thousands remain financially excluded, with internal bursaries and donor funding only reaching a fraction of those in need. The so-called ‘low uptake’ of the university’s loan agreements is a direct result of their impracticality,” read the letter.

The SRC called on the university to implement immediate relief measures, including expanded registration concessions for students at risk of financial exclusion due to outstanding fees. Additionally, it urged the university to engage in transparent discussions about long-term, sustainable financial aid solutions that addressed not only the current crisis, but also future needs.

Management’s response

Moshabela met the crowds of disenchanted students outside the university’s main administrative building.

“We have noted the presentation by the president of the SRC,” Moshabela said to an objecting crowd. He said that the university’s management acknowledged the challenges faced by students and by those who were affected by the fee blocks.

He added that the continuation of academic activities would depend on the progress of the discussions between the university’s management and the SRC.

After Moshabela received the SRC’s demands, Lukhele told Daily Maverick that the SRC was not pleased with his response. Lukhele claimed that the list of demands had been submitted to the vice-chancellor weeks prior.

“The response is redundant and says that they are not doing anything, or that they are not willing to do anything about it because this has been tabled a long time ago.”

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Accommodation crisis escalates

Ongoing issues

UCT’s financial relief ‘inadequate for struggling students’

Management’s response