Overview
- Days of protests at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology escalated into violence that included a building set alight at the Bellville campus and left at least three people injured.
- University management suspended classes, closed campuses and ordered an emergency evacuation of student residences to de-escalate the situation and protect people and property.
- Hundreds of students have left residences during the evacuation while some remain on campus because they cannot afford to travel or have nowhere else to go.
- Student leaders are pressing the university for practical support, proposing roughly R2,000 per eligible student for transport and meal costs, and plan a press briefing that CPUT says it was not invited to.
- CPUT reports calm as maintenance teams secure entry points and clean campuses, estimates infrastructure damage above R1 million, and says it is open to engagement with student representatives to resolve transport, welfare and financial concerns.