Protests over fee blocks disrupt access at UCT’s M3 entrance

Protesting students block the M3 entrance to the University of Cape Town on Monday as demonstrations over fee debt and registration continue. Protests over fee debt and financial exclusion have erupted at theUniversity of Cape Town(UCT) today, with some campus entry points temporarily blocked on Monday morning — including the busy M3 entrance in Rondebosch. The M3 approach to UCT was obstructed by protest action, with services on the scene.

Motorists were urged to drive carefully and expect delays in the area. “Campus Protection Services (CPS) has attended to these incidents and the affected entry points have been cleared. CPS is monitoring developments across campus,” the university said.

UCT added that, “At this stage, academic activities and university operations are proceeding as planned. Course convenors and line managers will provide more specific updates should circumstances change.” The protest action centres on students who say fee blocks are preventing academically eligible students from registering because of outstanding debt. Student activists argue that education should not be determined by affordability and have called for policies that ensure no qualifying student is excluded on financial grounds.

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The unrest mirrors similar demonstrations at the institution at the start of the 2025 academic year. In February last year, protest action over fee debt and student housing disrupted access to upper campus and forced some lectures to move online. Library services were also shifted to virtual platforms while management sought to stabilise the situation.

At the time, tensions escalated beyond campus gates. A Varsity Cup rugby fixture between UCT and North-West University had to be postponed after students occupied the Green Mile, preventing the match from proceeding as scheduled. The game was later moved to an undisclosed venue and played behind closed doors. The 2025 protests formed part of a broader national wave of student action linked to accommodation shortages and historic debt, with institutions grappling with limited housing capacity and mounting financial pressure on students at the start of the academic year.

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