 and the Department of Higher Education and Training’s (DHET) 2024/25 Annual Report.){kind=link}
By Thapelo Molefe
The Minister of Higher Education and Training, Buti Manamela, is set to brief the media on Saturday about the state of affairs at the University of Fort Hare (UFH) and the Department of Higher Education and Training’s (DHET) 2024/25 Annual Report.
The briefing comes amid growing concerns over violent student protests at the university, which have left parts of the campus in ruins and the academic programme suspended.
The unrest, which escalated this week, saw students burning the university’s administration building to the ground after days of protests over student representation and alleged governance failures.
Announcing the upcoming briefing, the DHET said Manamela would not only present the department’s annual performance outcomes but also unpack the audit findings and outline the department’s action plan for the next reporting cycle.
The annual report, tabled in Parliament on 30 September, forms part of government’s commitment to transparency and accountability within the Post-School Education and Training (PSET) sector.
However, much of the public attention is expected to focus on the situation at Fort Hare, a historically significant institution that has been rocked by instability in recent years.
The minister is expected to provide an update on the implementation of stabilisation measures at the university, including efforts to restore governance, strengthen management systems, and improve security.
The violent turn of events at Fort Hare has drawn strong condemnation from Parliament. The Chairperson of the Select Committee on Education, Science and the Creative Industries, Makhi Feni, described the destruction of university property as “an anti-thesis of what university education is about”.
“The actions of burning public benefit institutions for no apparent reason set back poor students and infrastructure development by years,” Feni said.
“It is unacceptable that, at a time when we are battling accommodation shortages, students choose to destroy facilities that serve them.”
Feni criticised the timing of the protests, saying they appear to have been orchestrated to disrupt the examination period.
“It is unfortunate that we find ourselves regressing when Fort Hare University has improved on so many aspects, including governance, research output, and programme offerings,” he added.
Similarly, the Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training, chaired by Tebogo Letsie, called for “open dialogue” and urged all parties to engage constructively to resolve the crisis.
Letsie said while the right to protest is protected, “the level of violence and destruction is unacceptable and detrimental to the university’s reputation and the students’ education”.
The committee expressed concern that management has allegedly suspended elected student leaders and replaced them with appointed representatives, further fuelling tensions.
Students are reportedly demanding that the university hold Student Representative Council (SRC) elections by the end of October and are calling for the resignation of Vice-Chancellor Professor Sakhela Buhlungu.
“The University of Fort Hare, as a historically disadvantaged institution, cannot afford continued instability,” Letsie warned.
“We urge management to engage meaningfully with student leaders to address the root causes of the unrest and ensure that the academic year is not further compromised.”
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