WATCH | Class in session: UCT calm after police called onto campus to stop protesting students

• University of Cape Town students disrupted lectures on Wednesday morning. 
• This after the student representative council claimed that the university’s council would not be scrapping the fee blocks.
• The disruptions prompted the university to call in the police to quell any further protests. 

A small group of fed-up University of Cape Town (UCT) students on Wednesday disrupted early morning lectures on upper campus after word spread that the university was not planning to scrap fee blocks.

The student representative council (SRC) announced on Tuesday that the university’s council decided it would not be scrapping fee blocks which prohibit students from registering for the 2023 academic year.

The SRC said in a statement they had a five-hour meeting with the university’s council on Monday night, where a proposal was made for scrapping fee blocks so students could register, but the council opposed the proposal.

“It is enraging that the university management and council have no care for poor and black students who are unable to afford the exorbitant costs [of] our tuition and accommodation fees,” the SRC said. 

More than 7 000 UCT students are said to be affected by the fee blocks.

The SRC said the university had declared that “only those with deep pockets” belong at the institution. 

SRC chair Hlengiwe Dube told News24 they had had high hopes that the council would decide in the students’ favour.

“We are absolutely disheartened at this decision, but what else can we do now?” Dube said.

She said:

Dube said students were now sitting with an “even bigger headache” about what to do next to clear their outstanding fees.

She said there hadn’t been disruptions when the university said it would not scrap fee blocks as students were considering their options.

Asked for comment regarding decisions taken at Monday’s council meeting, UCT spokesperson Elijah Moholola said he would only be able to comment at a later stage.

However, in a statement UCT confirmed that disruptions had taken place on Wednesday morning and that it had called the police to intervene.  

“These acts of disruption are unlawful in terms of the interim interdict granted by the Western Cape High Court on Friday, 17 February. As a result, the relevant members of the executive have alerted the SAPS, who will intervene and respond to disruptions,” it said.

The university added that while it continued to uphold the right to legitimate protest, it “will act against any unlawful activities”. 

“Only a few classes have been disrupted. The rest of the classes have continued. Where practically possible, classes scheduled for the remainder of the day are to continue while the executive activates measures to respond to the unlawful, disruptive acts,” the university added. 

Further comments from the university will be added once received. 

When News24 visited the upper campus, many students could be seen hurriedly leaving after they heard protests were going to take place.

“Although I never really saw any protesting, I definitely don’t want to be a part of it. I’m just here to do my classes and move on,” one student said.

Another said she saw a handful of chanting protesters on upper campus.

“It wasn’t really a massive gathering. If there was really a big protest, as said on social media, then the Jammies [UCT’s shuttle service] would not have been driving, and by the time I came out of class to go home, the gathering was done,” she said. 

Western Cape police confirmed they had been asked to assist.

“Public order police responded, and the students were warned… they dispersed. Our members are monitoring the situation,” Captain FC van Wyk said.