Manamela demands urgent talks as CPUT shuts campuses after Bellville arson attack

Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela has called for urgent engagement between Cape Peninsula University of Technology management, the university council and student leaders after an arson attack at CPUT’s Bellville campus sparked a total shutdown and the evacuation of student residences.

Arson prompts full campus closure and residence evacuations

University management confirmed that fire officials responded to the burning of the Old Education Building at the Bellville campus on Monday evening. While management said “no one was injured in this latest arson attack,” it described the escalation of violence as a grave concern.

In response to what it called ongoing disruptions, including the torching of buildings and attacks on infrastructure, CPUT closed all campuses until further notice and ordered the immediate evacuation of residences. The university said students living in university residences must vacate within 24 hours, stating: “All residences must be vacated within 24 hours by Wednesday, August 19 at 4pm. All students to leave by that date as residences will be closed.”

CPUT suspended all academic activities with immediate effect and instructed staff to work remotely. The university said only essential workers and selected support staff would be permitted on campus, and that the evacuation was necessary to protect students and staff. “The safety of staff and students is our primary concern at this stage,” management said.

Dispute over proposed financial clearance and registration rules

The shutdown followed escalating tensions over proposed changes to CPUT’s financial clearance model and registration requirements for 2027. Documents circulated among students outlined proposals that would require returning students with historical debt to pay a percentage of outstanding fees before registering, and would require residence students to pay approximately R7,000 upfront to cover registration and residence fees.

Students objected to proposals to eliminate Acknowledgement of Debt agreements and raised concerns about historical debt, registration requirements, residence fees and conditions, academic records and other matters submitted in memoranda to the university. Student activists described the proposals as a form of “financial exclusion,” according to reporting on the circulated documents.

Minister mandates departmental team to facilitate talks

Manamela said he had requested a team from the University Education Branch to work with CPUT and facilitate urgent engagement between university management, the council and student leadership. He condemned “unequivocally” the destruction of university property, violence, intimidation and any conduct that places members of the university community at risk.

The departmental team has been mandated to:

• Facilitate structured and constructive engagement between the parties
• Establish the verified facts underlying the respective grievances
• Identify matters that can be resolved immediately
• Assist the parties to agree to a clear and time-bound process for addressing outstanding matters
• Support urgent efforts to restore learning, teaching and essential university services

Manamela said the immediate priority is to bring the parties together, establish the facts and find a way forward that allows the academic programme to resume. He added:

“Students have a right to raise legitimate concerns about their access to higher education. Those concerns must be heard and addressed through constructive engagement. Equally, no student or staff member should have to fear for their safety or be prevented from exercising their right to study or work.”

He warned that an impasse must not become a permanent disruption to the academic year and called for responsible leadership and a commitment to dialogue.

Withdrawal of draft financial plan seen as opportunity

Manamela noted the withdrawal of the draft financial plan and said it presented an opportunity to reset engagement between university and student leadership. He urged the parties to use the opportunity responsibly and to focus on what can be resolved immediately, what needs further consideration and the process for dealing with remaining matters. “Leadership at the University and among students carries a responsibility to find solutions,” he said.

University response

CPUT management linked the shutdown to what it described as violent actions during protests and accused “unruly individuals, acting in bad faith, with the sole purpose of making the university dysfunctional,” of forcing management to act. The university said it remained committed to finding a solution that would allow the academic year to be completed and asked for support as it worked to “save our CPUT.”