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Liyabulela Gela, SRC president for the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), has confirmed that students are not going anywhere despite the institution giving them a 24-hour deadline to leave the campus by 4pm on Wednesday.
The order to vacate comes after days of protests at the Cape Town institution, which saw academic activities halted and the burning of the Old Education building at the Bellville campus.
At the heart of the protests is the 2027 financial recovery plan allegedly approved by the varsity’s finance committee for implementation.
“The news flash does not have a basis in its implementation without providing any alternative. Where are you expecting them to go or get the money to go home? We are not going anywhere; we are the ones with leases with accommodation, not the institution. No one vacates until we, as student leadership, tell them to. There is no protest currently; we are observing what will happen at 4pm,” said Gela on Wednesday.
The SRC president said the plan suggests that, as of the 2027 academic year, students need to be able to pay R7,000 for registration and a percentage of their debt, regardless of them passing all their modules.
“Student council was never consulted about this plan, nor were we told about a crisis. The issue is we are coming from a system of acknowledging debt throughout when you have passed your modules. With this recovery plan, it means the current students will not be able to register next year.”
He said the institution has about 38,000 students, 23,000 of whom are beneficiaries of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (Nsfas).
“Part of that group is the one that progressed to their advanced diploma on the basis that they can’t get their qualifications and can’t apply anywhere or work anywhere because they wouldn’t have the transcript,” said Gela.
This means they still have to be kept within the system. “Others are doing their final year and have to leave the system just like that. The long and short is no one is safe — it’s not only affecting Nsfas beneficiaries because no one stays an Nsfas beneficiary forever.”
Gela said the students reject the recovery plan in its entirety.
“What we are not rejecting is finding ways to contribute to the finances of things. But they are taking that opportunity from us by not telling us what the crisis is. There can’t be a recovery plan for finances when we have never declared a crisis. Until we know what the financial crisis of the university is, unfortunately, we can’t contribute.”
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