TUT classes suspended amid protests on campus

Tshwane University of Technology is once again the site of student protests. Unhappy students have caused disruptions at a number of institutions across the country in recent months. 

University protests across the country have intensified dramatically, with the latest school to join the action being the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT). 

TUT classes suspended amid protests on campus

The Student Representative Council at TUT has led students to take protest action for the past three days, and the campus has been closed as a result.

Today, the university appears to have concluded discussions with its leadership and management, leading to an expected reopening of its gates.

According to Keamogetswe Masike, the SRC President of TUT, the university has lied publicly by saying it has met with the SRC and its substructures.”  

Students at TUT are still awaiting a clear path forward in terms of issues raised and possible solutions, he said.

While the gates have been re-opened, some students have chased away other students and staff who have been coming to campus.

TUT’s residences are also in an “atrocious state”, another issue bothering students. The accommodations provided by universities are often unsafe and unconducive for many students.

Throughout most of their university years, students have had to live in gloomy conditions that make their university experience unbearable. A variety of students have reported that their accommodation was not only uncomfortable, but also negatively impacted their academic performance and mental and physical wellness. 

“A revolution doesn’t have a formula; our students are still living in dilapidated classrooms, having to shower with cold water. There is no formula to a revolution. It is a fundamental right for students to have access to water, and if they do not have access to it, you are violating their rights,” said Masike. 

Moreover, he mentioned an alleged sexual assault that took place at TUT which they claim was “swept under the rug”.

A female third-year student’s brutal murder at the hands of her boyfriend, alleged to be the act of gender-based violence (GBV) at the university, occurred just last month.

A meeting of TUT’s Student Representative Council will be held today, 9 March 2023, to decide on the next steps. As the first meeting between the two groups since the protests began, this will be a landmark event.

Since 13 February 2023, students at Wits University in Johannesburg have protested alongside students from multiple other institutions, including the University of Cape Town (UCT(

Additionally, protests have taken place at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), Northwest University (NWU) and University of Johannesburg.

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