Frustrations over historical debt mount as Stellenbosch University joins nationwide protests
Cape Town - Students at Stellenbosch University (SU) joined thousands across the country on Thursday who protested against financial exclusion, demanding equitable access to education and highlighting systemic issues affecting their academic journeys.
Over 400 SU students marched for four hours around the campus, disrupting classes and drawing attention to their plight.
It came as students from the University of Cape Town (UCT) carried out protest action this week regarding fee debt and student housing, including transit and vacation accommodation.
This, while students at eThekwini TVET College in Durban have been protesting outside the Centec campus in Morningside, demanding urgent solutions to the accommodation problems they are faced with, and protests at the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg led to students staging a hunger strike over what the see as the university’s financial exclusion policy, which requires students to either have a debt of less than R10 000 or be able to pay at least 50% of their outstanding debt to register for the academic year.
The protesting students at SU handed over a memorandum to university officials on Thursday, urging them to address the financial difficulties many face. They were sometimes met with resistance from those in lecture halls, but the protesters would march in and disrupt the classes.
Some lecturers would stop teaching and ask the students to walk out.
Student Representative Council (SRC) secretary-general, Mzwakhe Botoli, said: “Ours is to make sure the privileged can also feel that the underprivileged are not going to class.”
He emphasised the importance of advocating for those who are not registered due to financial constraints.
Botoli pointed out that the disparity in educational access is stark, with some students unable to attend classes while others continue as if nothing is wrong.
EFF Student Command (EFFSC) leader, Thabiso Mokgwadi, said there are serious challenges on the campus.
“There are many students who can’t register because they are blocked by NSFAS. Many don’t have places to stay, and many are on the ground because they can’t register due to historical debt.
“We started protesting on Wednesday when the SRC mobilised the students and we wrote the memorandum.
We have more than 25 students who are staying in hubs like rats because they are homeless.”
Demonstrator, Zybian Anders, explained it is the second week of classes and some students are still not yet registered due to financial reasons.
“It is not their fault; it is NSFAS that agreed to pay the full amount of their fees. This has left many students to sleep in the street; there are students without food and water.”
Anders described the situation as an injustice that affects students across South Africa.
The memorandum issued to the university detailed the financial exclusion students face due to debt and an accommodation crisis.
“While we recognise that such injustice is a nationwide issue and has been plaguing our country since the #FEESMUSTFALL in 2015, this is further proof that this disadvantage against our students remains systemic.
“On 19 February, the SRC held a mass meeting followed by a peaceful protest. We are proud of students for mobilising against university management and the broader systemic issues created by the Department of Higher Education and NSFAS. This institution continues to uphold colonised and inequitable access to education, and we stand united against it.”
The students’ demands include lifting registration blocks and providing accommodation for senior and postgraduate students. They expect a formal response to their demands by Friday at 12 pm.
If no response is received, they plan to continue their academic boycott to halt teaching and learning until equitable access to education is achieved.
SU confirmed that a group of students participated in the demonstration and that classes were disrupted in some academic buildings.
The university stated that the SRC had been engaged in talks with the Rectorate, including Deputy Vice-Chancellor Prof Deresh Ramjugernath, to address the concerns raised.
The university further clarified that while they cannot erase all student debt, NSFAS-funded students with sufficient bursary payments to cover outstanding fees will have their registration holds lifted.
Students can also have holds lifted if they provide proof of funding or if they have R10 000 or less outstanding debt and arrange a payment plan.
The university acknowledged that some students have not secured funding, which has hindered their ability to secure accommodation.
However, they noted that private accommodation, including options within the NSFAS cap, is available in Stellenbosch for students who have not yet secured housing.
Emergency accommodation arrangements were made from January 28 to February 10 to temporarily house students while they secured accommodation.
The registration deadline was extended to February 21 for returning students, with further extensions possible on a case-by-case basis until February 28.