Manamela intervenes as UFS protests threaten collapse of 2025 academic year

The protest wave was triggered by the UFS Council’s decision, adopted on 26 September 2025, to phase out provisional registration for the 2026 academic year.

 

In a dramatic escalation of tension, Higher Education and Training Minister Buti Manamela is actively engaging with leadership and stakeholders at the University of the Free State (UFS) in a bid to salvage what remains of the 2025 academic year. The intervention comes after the university’s decision to discontinue provisional registration from 2026 sparked widespread student protests, which turned violent on Monday evening, leaving several security officials seriously injured and prompting the temporary closure of the institution.

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Origins of the crisis: phasing out provisional registration

The protest wave was triggered by the UFS Council’s decision, adopted on 26 September 2025, to phase out provisional registration for the 2026 academic year. Under the new policy:

• Starting in 2026, students must have confirmed funding or have fully settled fees before being allowed to register.

• The change does not apply to students whose funding (through NSFAS or a full bursary) is confirmed, or whose historic debt does not exceed R20,000. (ufs.ac.za)

• Importantly, no deregistration of provisionally registered students will occur in 2025; these students will be given a grace period until December to settle outstanding balances. (ufs.ac.za)

• UFS has rolled out a student-centred financial support strategy, including new bursary opening dates and targeted financial advisory support. (ufs.ac.za)

In defending the decision, UFS cited rising levels of student debt, the unsustainability of provisional registration, and a belief that the policy would promote more responsible planning and financial management. (ufs.ac.za)

However, students and their representative bodies have strongly opposed the move, arguing that it disproportionately impacts those from economically marginalized backgrounds—particularly given ongoing delays in funding disbursement from NSFAS and other bursaries. (OFM)

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Escalation: protests, arrests, and campus shutdown

Protests across UFS campuses

By early October, protests were underway across UFS’s Bloemfontein, Qwaqwa, and South campuses. Students demanded an immediate reversal of the decision and a special council meeting to rescind it. (OFM) Classes and administrative operations were disrupted; UFS management moved much academic activity online in response. (ufs.ac.za)

The UFS Institutional Student Representative Council (ISRC) and campus SRCs submitted a memorandum of demands to management, calling for reinstatement of provisional registration. That request was refused, leading to further protest action. (Bloemfontein Courant)

Arrests and unrest

Law enforcement was deployed across campuses, resulting in multiple arrests:

• On Qwaqwa campus, 13 students were arrested for public violence. (sabcnews.com)

• On the Bloemfontein main campus, 5 male students (aged 18–22) were arrested after allegedly throwing stones at police patrol vehicles. (sabcnews.com)

• The total number of arrests across campuses may reach 9 in Bloemfontein and 13 in Qwaqwa, according to various reports. (The South African)

• The arrested students were expected to appear in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court on charges of public violence, malicious damage to property, and in one case attempted arson. (The South African)

Student groups have rallied outside the court and pledged continued resistance. (Briefly)

Accusations beyond funding

In addition to the financial debate, protestors have levelled claims that UFS is collaborating with right-leaning lobby group AfriForum and fostering a pro-white agenda—allegations that have added a racial dimension to the conflict and further inflamed tensions. (Briefly) Students also claim they are being unfairly arrested and that the university’s response to the protest is heavy-handed. (Briefly)

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Ministerial response and intervention

In light of the mounting unrest, Minister Buti Manamela has intervened, positioning himself as a mediator and protector of academic continuity. Key elements of his response include:

• Confirmation that UFS has been temporarily closed until stability is restored

• Emphasis that the safety and security of students, staff, and property are paramount

• Strong condemnation of the violence that injured security personnel, and expression of sympathy to them and their families

• Acknowledgment of the right to protest, but warning that it must adhere to legal and peaceful boundaries

• Instruction to his department to collaborate with UFS in crafting contingency plans aimed at minimising academic disruption and ensuring that no student is unfairly prejudiced

• Direct communication with the UFS Vice-Chancellor

• An appeal to all student leaders and stakeholders to adopt paths of constructive engagement rather than destruction

Manamela’s approach is delicate: he must maintain legitimacy in the eyes of students as well as government and institutional structures.

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Stakes, risks, and the path ahead

Threat to the 2025 academic year

With the university shut and classes disrupted or moved online, the continuity of the academic year is under threat. Prolonged closure could derail exams, delay graduations, create backlog, and harm students narrowly unaffected by the protests.

Equity, access, and financial sustainability

The heart of the conflict lies in balancing institutional sustainability and access equity. UFS argues that provisional registration has produced significant default risk, but students counter that eliminating it without a robust safety net will disproportionately exclude the poor. (ufs.ac.za)

Political and legal fallout

Arrests and property damage expose protestors and institutions to legal consequences. The use of policing on campuses risks further eroding trust between students and management.

Moreover, claims of racism and ideological collusion heighten the political sensitivity of the moment.

Trust deficit and negotiation challenges

SRCs and student bodies say prior negotiations were fruitless and dismissive. (Bloemfontein Courant) For any solution to stick, students must feel sincerely heard and involved in shaping the outcome.

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Possibilities for resolution and mediation

To stabilize the situation and rescue the academic year, several strategic measures may prove crucial:

1. Immediate ceasefire and reopening plan The university must validate safe conditions; protest leaders must commit to ending destructive tactics.

2. Mediated negotiation forum A tri-party platform—including national government, UFS management, and student leadership—should be instituted to negotiate binding concessions and a timetable for resolution.

3. Interim relief schemes UFS might adopt transitional registration allowances for students awaiting funding approval or facing delays, with clear eligibility criteria and accountability.

4. Strengthened financial support mechanisms The university’s Imbewu Legacy Fund, bursary windows, and financial advisory efforts should be scaled up, with urgency and transparency.

5. Academic rescue strategies Offering catch-up classes, rescheduling assessments, extended deadlines, and flexible modalities may help preserve student progress.

6. Transparent accountability and damages repair Acts of violence or vandalism should meet due process; student demands must be evaluated publicly, not downplayed.

7. Ongoing communication and confidence building Frequent, honest updates to students, staff, and the public are essential. Engagement must extend beyond lip service.

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Why this moment matters

While centred at UFS, this confrontation echoes broader tensions across South African higher education—tensions between rising student debt, delayed funding through NSFAS, and institutional financial viability.

The outcome here could set significant precedents for how universities balance inclusion and fiscal discipline, how protest culture is mediated in academic spaces, and how government institutions navigate the demands of equity, access, and institutional health.

If handled insightfully, this crisis might usher in reforms: more responsive financial aid systems, more inclusive registration policies, and renewed trust among student bodies, universities, and the state.

But mismanagement risks long-term damage: lost academic time, worsened inequalities, institutional strain, and alienation of a generation of students.

Manamela’s intervention presents a critical window. If student leaders, UFS management, and government can refocus on the shared priority of preserving the academic futures of all students, there remains hope for a stable resolution.