By Thapelo Molefe
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have called for an urgent multi-stakeholder meeting to address what the party describes as a “catastrophic and escalating crisis” at the University of Fort Hare (UFH), where violent student protests have plunged the institution into turmoil and forced the suspension of all academic activities.
The call follows a wave of destructive protests that worsened this week, leaving parts of the historic university in ruins.
Angry students, protesting over student representation and alleged governance failures, torched several buildings, including the main administration building, which was burned to the ground in scenes that have shocked the higher education sector.
The unrest caused destruction estimated at R500 million, crippling critical facilities such as the exams department, staff centre, faculty of agriculture, and the HR building.
In a letter dated 9 October, addressed to the Chairperson of Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Higher Education, EFF MP Sihle Lonzi urged swift and coordinated intervention by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), university management, student representatives, and law enforcement agencies.
“The crisis at the University of Fort Hare has reached a level that demands urgent and coordinated intervention,” Lonzi wrote.
“The continued destruction not only threatens the university’s immediate functioning but also its long-term survival as an institution of national and historic significance.”
The EFF attributes the unrest to unresolved disputes over student governance, allegations of abuse of power by management, the refusal to hold democratic elections, and poor residence conditions, issues that have fuelled anger and mistrust between students and university leadership.
The letter also raises concerns of possible third-party interference, alleging that “actors with interests beyond those of the student body” may be deliberately escalating the violence.
Lonzi warned that prolonged instability could be exploited by private security and construction companies seeking financial gain from rebuilding contracts, calling for such allegations to be urgently investigated.
“These allegations warrant serious and immediate investigation,” Lonzi said.
“If left unchecked, such interference risks turning legitimate student grievances into a tool for profiteering and institutional sabotage.”
The EFF cautioned that the ongoing turmoil threatens to erode its legacy and symbolic importance in South Africa’s history.
“The University of Fort Hare is not only an academic institution. It is a symbol of South Africa and Africa’s intellectual heritage and liberation archive,” Lonzi stated.
“To allow its continued destabilisation would be a national catastrophe for generations to come.”
The EFF urged Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Higher Education to urgently convene a multi-stakeholder meeting that would bring together DHET, the Council and executive management of the University of Fort Hare, student and academic representatives, as well as relevant oversight and investigative agencies.
The party said such a gathering is essential to restore institutional order, de-escalate tensions, and develop a credible recovery plan that addresses the governance, safety, and accountability failures that have plunged the university into crisis.
“The academic year is at risk of total collapse,” Lonzi warned.
“Further acts of violence, injury, and potential loss of life will follow if leadership fails to act now.”
INSIDE EDUCATION
