South Africa: Protests Force CPUT to Withdraw Student Payment Plan

What the report says

Students at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology in Cape Town forced the university to withdraw a draft financial recovery plan after two days of protests this week, according to GroundUp via AllAfrica. The proposal had sought to require self-funded students to make an upfront payment of up to R7,000 to register for the new academic year, as CPUT tried to reduce a student debt burden reported at R4.2 billion in May 2026.

The protests escalated on Tuesday and Wednesday, with a tyre set alight at the District Six campus, shuttle services and in-person classes suspended, and a march to the Bellville campus to deliver demands to Vice-Chancellor Chris Nhlapo. Student groups including the central SRC, the Pan Africanist Student Movement of Azania, EFF Students’ Command and uMkhonto weSizwe Student Movement joined the action. Students also called for the release of transcripts and graduation certificates that the university has withheld from students in arrears.

CPUT said the protest caused damage to property and that a security guard was struck in the face with a brick. University media liaison Lauren Kansley said management had been willing to engage, but the situation became unsafe during the handover of the memorandum. The university council later decided to withdraw the draft plan for further consultation.

The report highlights a wider tension between university finances and student access. CPUT has said it has withheld about 16,200 transcripts from students with outstanding debts, while students argue that higher upfront payments would block registration for people from low-income households. The matter is likely to remain unresolved as consultations continue.