UCT has been granted an interim interdict, blocking students from continuing with protests against financial exclusions that rocked the institution this week.
The Western Cape High Court issued the interim interdict on Friday, ordering the student representative council (SRC) to end the protest and to refrain from, among other things, participating in an "unlawful protest" at any of the UCT properties, occupying properties, including lecture halls and disrupting lectures.
The court also directed SAPS and other law enforcement to assist UCT management with the enforcement of the interim interdict.
The latest development comes in the wake of a full week of protest action, with students vowing to fight financial exclusions, almost eight years after the #FeesMustFall protests swept across the country's universities in support of access to free education.
UCT resolved earlier this week to move classes online while protests continued.
Protests also erupted at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) over a shortage of student accommodation this week.
UCT students with outstanding fees of more than R10 000 were barred from registering for the 2023 academic year and accessing student housing.
The institution’s SRC was expected to hold a special meeting on Saturday evening to discuss the court order.
The SRC said its fund used to assist students with fee debt, with donations from the Vice Chancellor Mamokgethi Phakeng and fund raising initiatives was exhausted, as there was a greater demand this year than previous years.
SRC president, Hlengiwe Dube said engagements were held with the university management in 2022 on how the issues of student debt and the funding caps by the national student financial aid scheme (NSFAS) would be handled this year.
"However, it appears that management was not cognisant of the severity of the problem as they have not put in place any measures to deal with it. All this could have been avoided," said Dube.
Dube said close to 1 000 students were struggling to register and find accommodation, even though they were eligible to study this year.
"A lot of students are eligible to study. They were given a firm offer to study. But that right to education is now being taken away because they do not have money.
“Some are squatting with friends and others have been sent home. It's unfortunate that the university has advised them to find private accommodation, in a city where rents are very high,“ said Dube.
At a night vigil held outside the Sarah Baartman hall at UCT on Thursday, students came together in solidarity with those affected by the fee blocks and lack of accommodation.
Dube said the new NSFAS funding policy had also seen law students having to scramble for funding as they would no longer get assistance from 2023.
State funding through NSFAS is only made available to those whose parents earn below R350 000 per year, leaving out what is now termed the "missing middle" income earners.
Economist Iraj Abedian believed that students who fell in the "missing middle" category should source other funding models such as bursaries or loans.
"The state can only take care of the poor and beyond that families and individuals should also take measures to look after themselves.
"The state should only finance a social preference. It's pure economics – invest in what will give you returns for society," he said.
Abedian urged the government to start having conversations with all stakeholders on the issue instead of leaving it to universities themselves to find ways to handle it.
UCT said the cumulative historic student debt was currently at R413million, while UWC's amounted to R520m.
UWC spokesperson, Gasant Abarder said there were campaigns aimed at assisting students who could not afford fees, but who performed well in their academic studies.
Abarder said the university did not exclude students on the basis of outstanding fees.
"The university is sensitive to the economic climate and profile of students that the university serves, and therefore does not have a financial exclusion policy," he added.
The university said it would continue engaging student leadership on the current challenges and where disruptions had occurred, online support would be provided to students.
The Economic Freedom Fighters Student Command (EFFSC) was adamant that no student should be turned back from universities as long as their academic performance was good.
“Historical debts are a burden to the students of the working class. Until the challenges are resolved and students registered, the campuses will remain shutdown,” said EFFSC Western Cape chairperson, Sikelela Msizazwe.
Weekend Argus