Students suspended at CPUT as protests escalate and safety fears grow
Dental students from CPUT claim that they remain without a commencement date for classes as protests continue.
Image: Lilita Gcwabe
More than five students at CPUT hav been suspended as protests escalate, leaving their academic futures and campus safety in jeopardy.
The move comes as dental students continue to face delays in classes and graduation, with many reporting that they feel unsafe and unheard on campus. Physical classes remain on hold across campus.
One student, who requested anonymity, said he received a suspension letter from the university last Friday following a protest march to Parliament.
"I feel that they did not follow the correct procedure to suspend me because I did not receive a suspension order, which is supposed to be the first step," he said.
The letter, he explained, did not state the reason for his suspension or its duration.
"I don’t know why I have been suspended. The letter doesn’t say why. It only states how to conduct myself going forward, and instructed me to leave the campus premises and res while I am suspended."
The student, who has been actively protesting in support of dental students and highlighting campus safety concerns, said he has not informed his parents about the suspension.
"I still have not even told my parents that I have been suspended because I don’t want to worry them," he said.
"The uncertainty has left me feeling sidelined. With the uncertainty of the length of the suspension, my life and studies have been placed on the back burner."
Third-year dental students expressed similar frustration.
"Things are unclear now as to what is going to happen to the protest or our studies moving forward," one student said.
Students said they remain without a commencement date for classes, while those due to graduate have not received information about graduation arrangements. A memorandum they handed to Parliament, which set a seven-day deadline for a response, has yet to receive any feedback.
Lauren Kansley, CPUT spokesperson, said that the suspended students are still "subject to disciplinary hearings when they will have an opportunity to state their case".
Responding to claims that proper procedure had not been followed, she added: "Any accusations that they may make, that the institution is acting unjustly, are merely attempts to sway attention from their own alleged criminality."
Kansley defended the university’s actions, stressing the responsibility of management to ensure the safety of the institution’s 40,000 students.
"This wave of protest action saw our beloved Pool House go up in flames recently. This is a building that is used as a leisure facility by staff and students alike. These are not the actions of innocent students. It is a pure criminal action and will be dealt with via SAPS and our own internal processes," she said, confirming that classes will continue online.