Cape Town - The Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) has decided to shut down all its campuses and has told students to vacate residences, after an escalation in violence as a result of student protests on its campuses this week.
The university said the measure was taken to quell student protests on Thursday and said all operations, including academic activities would cease with immediate effect and all residences must be vacated by 4pm on Friday.
CPUT students could be seen hauling their suitcases as they vacated on-campus residences in the presence of armed police.
On Monday, students protested and later the same evening caused a fire at a cleaning supply room at the Bellville campus, while a recreational space called the SS Hall CPUT, was torched at the Wellington campus.
The protest was over a number of issues but also largely related to a new National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) condition that any student who is studying for less than 60 course credits is no longer eligible for accommodation, living, and transport allowance, leaving over 800 CPUT students affected.
On Monday, a student said other issues raised were that of shuttle/transport, NSFAS and the need for more accommodation.
On Wednesday, CPUT was granted an interim court order by the Western Cape High Court. The police used force and rubber bullets to disperse the students.
“Continued violent disruptions, torching of buildings and wanton attacks on institutional infrastructure, have forced CPUT university management to announce the closure of all campuses indefinitely,” CPUT spokesperson Lauren Kansley said.
“Unruly students, acting in bad faith, with the sole purpose of making the university dysfunctional have left management with no other choice but to act swiftly and decisively. The safety of staff and students is our primary concern at this stage,” she said.
The university will provide transport to key areas for students living in other provinces and its scheduled Open Day on Saturday has been postponed.
The decision comes as the university will be entering Study Week next week before examinations.
Police spokesperson, Joseph Swartbooi said close to 1 000 students protested at CPUT Bellville South Campus on Wednesday. At around 9:45pm, students set buildings and private vehicles alight on the premises.
“Members of public order police who were close by for operational support, as a result of the unrest, took action when the actions of the students escalated to violence and forced the disgruntled students to disperse.”
Swartbooi said no arrests had been made and that Bellville South police are investigating a case of contravention of a court order and public violence.
City Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson Edward Bosch said services responded to reports of a building alight at CPUT Bellville Campus just after 9pm on Wednesday.
“We initiated efforts to extinguish a fire in part of the building and vehicles, but were advised by the South African Police Service to withdraw off campus due to continued unrest,” Bosch said.
One building and two vehicles were damaged as a result of the fire.
Meanwhile, the University of the Western Cape (UWC) spokesperson Gasant Abarder said UWC has postponed its Open Day scheduled for Saturday, due to safety concerns related to protests both on and off campus and at its Unibell Residences, this week. During Tuesday’s protest, campus security personnel were pepper sprayed.
The protest follows the death of a UWC student Kamva Dasi, a third-year BCom student who was shot and killed in Belhar on April 29.