The dispute over student fees at Rhodes University has moved beyond a disagreement about how much students must pay to register, with 13 students facing the financial consequences of arrests made during protests and a R90 000 legal bill that a civil society organisation says the police should pay.
The 13 students were arrested during a protest at the 1820 Settlers National Monument on Friday after students had been mobilising against Rhodes University’s 2027 protocol on the payment of student fees. Their arrests followed days of tension over historical student debt, registration requirements and the financial pressure facing students struggling to remain in higher education.
The students appeared in the Makhanda Magistrate’s Court on Monday, where the charges against them were dismissed.
The dismissal has since become central to calls for accountability from Not In My Name International, which is demanding that the South African Police Service (SAPS) cover the students’ legal costs.
The organisation’s president, Themba Masango, said the R90 000 bill should not become the responsibility of students who had been exercising their right to protest.
Masango said the arrests were illegal. The dismissal of the charges showed that there was insufficient evidence that the students had been involved in violent or disruptive conduct.
He said footage showed students sitting peacefully at the monument and disputed the suggestion that they had breached the court order restricting protest activity at Rhodes University.
Masango said the monument was not Rhodes University property and the students had not disrupted the university’s graduation proceedings.
He also questioned the police's use of force during the protest. Masango alleged that students were subjected to tear gas and rubber bullets. Footage and photographs should be examined to establish exactly what happened and which officers were involved.
He further alleged that some students who were not participating in the protest were arrested after running when they saw other students fleeing.
Masango called for an investigation into the conduct of every police officer involved and for authorities to establish who ordered the use of force.
The arrests came after a week of escalating tension over the university’s 2027 fee-payment protocol. Students had rejected the new arrangements, particularly the requirements affecting self-funded students who have historical debt.
Under the protocol discussed during the protests, students with outstanding balances were expected to make a significant payment towards their historical debt while remaining responsible for their current fees.
The dispute has highlighted a problem familiar to students across the country, on how completing a degree can depend not only on academic performance but also on whether a student can settle debt accumulated in previous years.
The issue is particularly significant for students from working-class households who may not have the financial resources to clear historical balances in a single payment. Even when students can access financial aid, delays, administrative problems and funding decisions can leave them uncertain about whether they will be able to register or remain at university.
The Rhodes University dispute, therefore, comes at a time when thousands of prospective students are again applying for government funding.
Applications for the 2027 National Student Financial Aid Scheme cycle opened on 18 September and are scheduled to close on 31 October. Within the first four days, more than 51 000 applications had been received.
For students who depend on the NSFAS, the question of whether funding will be approved can determine whether they can start or continue their studies. For those who do not qualify or fall into gaps between funding categories, university debt can become a barrier.
The conflict at Rhodes University also demonstrates how quickly a financial dispute can become a broader question about student rights and the limits of protest. Students first gathered to challenge the fee protocol and seek answers from university management. After negotiations failed to resolve the dispute, the university obtained an interim interdict from the Eastern Cape High Court on 30 September restricting protest activity. The matter is due to return to court on 27 October.
The protest was suspended after discussions between student representatives and university management. But tension returned when students gathered at the national monument on Friday. The protest was not simply about one university’s fee structure. It reflected a wider frustration among young people who are expected to pursue higher education while navigating unemployment, household financial pressure and rising costs.
The timing also matters. South Africa’s local government elections are scheduled for 4 November, putting issues affecting young people and working-class households within a wider national political conversation. Students are among the groups that political parties regularly seek to mobilise but the Rhodes University dispute illustrates that access to education is not only an electoral issue. It is an immediate concern for people trying to complete their qualifications and enter a difficult job market.
The EFF Youth Command has also entered the debate, expressing solidarity with Rhodes University students and arguing that the fee dispute must be understood in the context of the country’s wider economic inequality. It has called for a review of the payment protocol and for greater consideration of students from poor and working-class households.
The organisation said financial requirements that appeared uniform could have different consequences depending on a student’s circumstances. It said historical debt should be assessed more carefully rather than treated as a simple financial obligation that every student could be expected to meet in the same way.
The disagreement raises a difficult question for universities. Institutions need money to operate, maintain infrastructure, pay staff and provide teaching and support services. But students who cannot afford their fees can also be prevented from accessing the very education that is meant to improve their economic prospects.
For the 13 arrested students, the immediate issue is the legal bill. Not In My Name says students should not have to raise R90 000 to defend themselves after arrests it believes were unjustified. The Rhodes University SRC has launched a fundraising campaign to help cover legal costs.
The case also leaves questions about police conduct that go beyond the individual students. The dismissal of charges does not, by itself, establish that the arrests were illegal. That question would require a separate assessment of the circumstances of each arrest, the applicable court order and the conduct of the officers involved. But the calls for an investigation put pressure on the SAPS to explain why force was used, what warnings were issued and whether officers acted within the limits of the law.
For students elsewhere in South Africa, the events at Rhodes University may feel familiar. The details of the fee protocol are specific to one institution but the underlying anxiety is not. Across campuses, students are weighing the cost of education against household income, student debt and uncertain employment prospects.
The dispute has therefore become about more than whether students can afford to pay a particular amount before registration. It is about who gets to remain in higher education when money runs out, what happens when students protest those barriers and who carries the cost when a protest ends in arrest.
As the court process continues and the 2027 funding cycle moves towards its deadline, those questions will remain relevant far beyond Makhanda.