By Thapelo Molefe
– Images by Eddie Mtsweni
Wits students took to the streets of Braamfontein on Friday morning, blocking entrances to the university as they entered day five of protest action over financial exclusion.
Students are currently closing the Yale Road entrance to the University of the Witwatersrand, preventing vehicles from entering campus.
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Police officers and Gauteng community patrollers are stationed along the road, monitoring the situation as protesters sing struggle songs demanding the immediate registration of all students, regardless of historic debt.
The protest, organised by Wits PYA, PASMA and the EFF Student Command, marks 10 years since the #FeesMustFall uprising. Student leaders say the current mobilisation is a continuation of that struggle, arguing that financial exclusion remains a structural barrier to higher education.
“At least 20,000 students remain unregistered at the start of the academic year. This cannot be treated as a minor administrative issue. It is a structural indictment on the funding model of higher education,” student leader Zwelimangele Jamjam said in a statement issued on Friday.
The university has not publicly specified how many students are currently excluded. However, protest organisers say that the number runs into the tens of thousands. They say this includes around 9,000 students who were financially excluded in 2025, as well as others barred from registering due to historic debt exceeding R120,000.
Students are demanding the immediate registration of all academically eligible students, regardless of outstanding fees.
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“The doors of learning cannot be conditionally open. They must be structurally and permanently open,” Jamjam said.
Protesters are also calling for the reinstatement of 30 students who were suspended following the first day of demonstrations earlier this week, saying the move criminalises dissent instead of addressing the root causes of the crisis.
Traffic in parts of Braamfontein has been disrupted, with private security and law enforcement maintaining a visible presence.
The situation remains tense but calm as students vow to remain mobilised until their demands are met.
