Lectures have been halted at several Cape Peninsula University of Technology campuses as students stage a shutdown over a range of grievances.
Students began protesting on Tuesday, with a large group marching from CPUT’s District Six campus and stopping at residences to encourage others to join the action.
The shutdown follows a mass meeting organised by the Central Student Representative Council last Friday.
Students attempted to hand a memorandum of demands to university management at the Bellville campus following the meeting.
Central SRC president Liyabulela Gela said students were frustrated by what they viewed as an inadequate response from management.
R7,000 upfront payment challenged
Among the issues raised is a mandatory R7,000 upfront payment linked to academic and residence registration ahead of each academic year.
Students are also challenging aspects of CPUT’s proposed 2027 financial plan.
Earlier discussions led by the SRC raised concerns about student debt, administrative failures and the university’s policies affecting students with outstanding fees.
Gela said the memorandum made the SRC’s intention clear.
“We are shutting down the whole institution, and nothing else must operate,” he said.
SRC criticises university response
Gela claimed university representatives did not accept the memorandum when students initially attempted to hand it over on Friday.
The SRC later sent the document electronically on Sunday.
He accused management of communicating indirectly with the wider student body instead of responding directly to the council’s demands.
Students have said lectures will not resume until their grievances are addressed.
Shutdown puts pressure on management
The protest places renewed pressure on CPUT management to engage with the SRC as academic activities are disrupted.
CPUT’s student body is formally represented through a Central SRC and four local SRC structures across its campuses.
At the time of reporting, the supplied source did not provide a detailed formal response from CPUT management to each demand or indicate when lectures would resume.
The SRC has maintained that the shutdown will continue while students await action on their concerns.