Blade Nzimande
Photo by: Duane Daws
After a second day of protests at universities around the country turned violent, Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande said an agreement had been reached to cap fee increases for 2016 at 6%.
Nzimande told a media briefing stakeholders had reached an agreement that fees for the coming year would “not increase beyond a CPI-related increase of 6%”.
Flanked by university vice-chancellors, Nzimande said the crisis meeting had further agreed that an environment would be created that was conducive to “the immediate resumption of academic activities”.
Asked about the impact on universities’ finances of placing a ceiling on fee increases, he added: “Of course this is just for 2016, just to deal with the immediate problem.”
As he spoke, tension remained high at the University of Cape Town, as student protesters waited for some 23 of their peers to be released from custody at Rondebosch police station.