Manamela steps in as arson, violent student protests shut down CPUT campuses

By Thapelo Molefe

Higher Education Minister Buti Manamela has directed a departmental team to intervene at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) after an arson attack and student grievances led to a total shutdown of the university.

The University Education Branch team will work with CPUT management, Council and student leaders to facilitate urgent discussions and find a way to restore learning, teaching and essential university services.

The shutdown follows days of student protests and violent disruptions, culminating in an arson attack on the university’s Old Education Building at its Bellville campus on Monday evening.

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Students have raised concerns about the now-withdrawn Draft Financial Recovery Plan for 2027, historical student debt, registration requirements, residence fees and conditions, as well as issues relating to academic records.

The departmental team has been tasked with establishing the facts behind the grievances,