Wednesday, 19 August 2026

CPUT shut all campuses and suspended lectures indefinitely, ordering residents to vacate by 4 p.m. after violent protests and arson; student leaders said no one would leave and demanded intervention on fees and accommodation.

Lauren Cansley said CPUT’s emergency measures were about de-escalating violence, stressed the university has about 16,000 students in residence, and said the financial recovery plan was misrepresented as a R7,000 fee.

Listeners split sharply over student protest tactics: some blamed vandalism and asked why students can’t work for fees, while others argued the real issue is unequal access to jobs, networks and historical privilege.

Parliament’s police inquiry into gang violence launched with Ian Cameron saying it must be a broader, community-driven process, and he flagged the mismatch between a R4.2 billion VIP protection budget and the tiny anti-gang unit allocation.

Bernice ‘The Badger’ Ferreira made South African boxing history by becoming the country’s first female unified world champion after beating Caroline Vera in Atlanta, and said a rematch is likely.