Accommodation Crisis At CPUT: Protests Erupt As Students Demand Housing Solutions

The Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) is experiencing a serious accommodation crisis, leaving many students without housing and causing protests and disputes. Chaos erupted at the District Six campus as students protesting for accommodation and security clashed on Sunday night.

High demand, limited bed availability, and budgetary restrictions all contribute to the dilemma. This has led to students sleeping in hallways, student centres, and sometimes outside.

Protests and Clashes

Frustration with the shortage of housing reached a climax when students were confronted with police. Armed Public Order Officers deployed stun grenades and water cannons to remove protesting students who were sleeping in halls and outside.

One student stated, “We were running for our lives…” Others fell; others collapsed.” These protests highlight students’ rising desperation and fury as they struggle to locate safe and affordable accommodation.

Students’ Cries

The accommodation crisis has had a significant impact on students, particularly those from outside of Cape Town. Many students have shared their experiences of hardship and frustration.

Yaneliseka Pakamani, a third-year student, shared her past experience: “We are all students and all deserve residence… I also suffered from this when I was a first-year student. We slept here [on the street] for three months… It’s heart-breaking, it also affects us mentally and academically… You don’t wash, you are hungry, you don’t sleep, and you are expected to attend classes? How?”

Student Representative Council (SRC) member at the institution, Ayabulela Mbiza said they are hopeless as they patiently wait to be accommodated. He said stranded students now fear of missing out on their studies.

Mihlali Kona, a second-year student from East London, described the dire conditions: “The situation inside is dire. Students are sleeping on the floor, and it’s very cold. It’s been two weeks now, and we have not been placed… [CPUT] said they are [at] capacity, and those of us who aren’t placed must find alternative accommodation. But private accommodation in Cape Town is very expensive. They want R9, 000 for a deposit. Where must we get that? Our parents are not working.”

Adding to the crisis, some students have fallen victim to scammers posing as landlords. Kona shared his experience: “Many desperate students, especially first years, get scammed. Their accommodation ends up being a garage. In my case last year, a sewage pipe burst in my room, and I had to use all my lab coats to block the shit”.

These accounts underscore the urgent need for CPUT to address the accommodation crisis and provide safe and secure housing for its students.

CPUT’s Response

On Tuesday, CPUT spokesman Lauren Kansley acknowledged the protests but stated that the campuses were now calm. She stated that the influx of kids began in the middle of last week. She stated that while some students claimed to have been on campus for weeks, this was incorrect, since university classes just began in earnest this week.

Kansley acknowledged the significant demand for student housing, pointing out that Cape Town did not have an excess of viable choices to match the need and that the university was striving to balance fiscal responsibility with providing adequate housing.

She stressed that it was critical to recognise that university operations had been working under severe pressure. CPUT has just 16,200 beds on campus while having a planned enrolment of 38,840 students.

To address the rising need, CPUT has added 1,000 new beds this year as part of an ongoing effort to expand student housing. Kansley also noted that some students remain ineligible for placement due to issues such as poor academic standing, extended study periods, or disciplinary problems.

Kansley stated, “The system works if you work the system. So, people have applied on time, they are very safe and happily in residence because they did all the appropriate things at the correct time. What we have is a situation where applicants, not necessarily students, have arrived at our door in the hopes of being accepted for study at CPUT but they do not have a place to study, they do not have a place to stay, they merely wish to do that”.

Kansley pointed out that the institution is attempting to enhance its operations, with 400 more beds added to Cape Suites, which provides high-quality facilities to students. Despite these attempts, Kansley said that, “The reality is that we simply don’t have the capacity to house everyone who applies. It’s uncomfortable, but the truth is that we cannot meet the demand”.

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NSFAS and Financial Constraints

Delays in NSFAS payments, along with accommodation limitations and high private rental prices in Cape Town, contributed to the student housing situation. In 2023, Blade Nzimande, Minister of Higher Education, cut the NSFAS accommodation cap from R60, 000 to R45, 000 per year. New limits were imposed, restricting private accommodation funding at R50,000 in metro areas and R41,000 elsewhere, while students in institution-managed housing could get up to R66,500 in metros and R57,500 in other areas.

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) had warned that NSFAS’s mismanagement of student accommodation funding would cause unrest. Despite NSFAS having an R2.3-billion surplus in 2022/23, and lords remain unpaid, leading to a severe shortage of accredited housing,

Broader Implications

The lack of housing at CPUT is part of a larger problem that affects students across the country. Similar concerns have been raised at other universities, including the University of Johannesburg and Durban University of Technology.

Nape Senong, a mobiliser strategist at Youth Capital, highlighted that one of the major issues facing many institutions is a lack of suitable housing. “These institutions have not had enough housing for quite some time and they are not responding to the problem effectively, as evidenced by the fact that the problem remains consistent and unresolved,” he said.

The Portfolio Committee on Higher Education showed concern about the ongoing housing problem at CPUT5. The situation has serious consequences for kids’ academic performance, mental wellness, and overall well-being. It also calls into doubt the government’s commitment to investing in infrastructure and assisting underprivileged students.

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