Stranded students at the CPUT District Six campus blocked the entrance over accommodation issues. Ian Landsberg / Independent Media
CAPE Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) students found guilty during a disciplinary process of having participated in protest action could find themselves without a residence, says the institution.
The warning comes amid growing frustration among hundreds of students who had gathered outside the District Six campus in Cape Town last week, over a lack of accommodation in university residences.
CPUT on Sunday confirmed that they had managed to place 410 qualifying students.
In a post on social media, the institution said: “Reasons why CPUT can’t accommodate everyone in residence. (On) disciplinary issues….residences need to be safe for all. If you have pending DC’s then that impacts your eligibility for res. Keep that in mind if you are tempted to join protest action. You could lose your residence spot.”
CPUT spokesperson Lauren Kansley said it remained the university's standpoint that peaceful protests are never curbed by the institution.
“History has taught us though that illegitimate student leaders attempt to spark protest action that very often turns violent. This is a danger to our students, staff and infrastructure. If anyone participates and is found guilty through disciplinary processes, of having been part of this then that could lead to action being taken. That could be suspension and expulsion from residence.”
On accommodation woes, she said while students often applied to study they did not always apply for residence.
“We need time to vet and verify them all, before placement. We are also working through waiting lists of applicants who have followed the process and are waiting at home with a ‘pending’ status for res. We worked through the night to place 410 applicants on Saturday who were vetted and found to be qualified and verified for residence funding and placement. The vetting and processing of applicants has been happening every day this week, with batches of 50- 100 students being housed as spaces became available. The process will continue (Sunday) and into the new week.
“At this stage the applicants who are left are mostly not registered for study in 2025, NSFAS or funding rejected, or they were not able to provide valid student numbers.”
Pan Africanist Student Movement of Azania (PASMA) member Ntanda Mrhasi said there were a number of students that qualified that have not been placed.
“Placement is slow, these are qualifying students. The fact is that more students qualify so they need to accredit more buildings, and build more residences.”
CPUT is not the only institution with accommodation challenges in the Western Cape.
While UCT has refused to comment on the status of accommodation, Stellenbosch University spokesperson, Martin Viljoen said: “Approximately 18 000 applicants (those are applicants who received an academic offer from the University) also applied for residence accommodation. The University can house some 2 350 (40%) first year students in residence accommodation on the Stellenbosch and Tygerberg campuses. In total, the University has 8000 residence beds.”
In a statement, the University of the Western Cape’s executive management, said: “We recognise that demand for accommodation exceeds supply, and proactive steps were taken last year in preparation for the 2025 academic year. To date, 1 180 additional bed spaces have been secured to support deserving and registered students. We also understand that many students prefer to stay in university residences. However, due to limited capacity, placements are made based on our placement policy to ensure a fair and transparent process.”
Cape Times