A Decade After #FeesMustFall: South Africa's Unending Education Crisis
Despite promises of reform following the 2015 protests, South African students face mounting debt, housing crises, and mental health challenges, while universities struggle with funding shortfalls.
This story contains mention of mental health crises that may be upsetting to some readers. The South African Depression and Anxiety Group and SA Federation for Mental Health have 24-hour mental health resources available.
"The problems didn't go away. They put a bandage on a bullet wound," says Phumelelani Mshumi, a student describing a decade of unresolved financial crises in South African universities.
A cycle of protest
#FeesMustFall was a hashtag that made waves on social media platforms back in 2015 when students from various South African universities protested against the rise in fees, demanding that the government increase funding to higher education institutions. A decade later, students with different faces but facing the same stark realities of financial exclusion have again engaged in protest action around the country.
Despite repeated promises, financial exclusion remains a systemic crisis with profound emotional and psychological consequences for students, begging the question: What has changed since Fees Must Fall was initially launched all those years ago?
Last month, the University of Cape Town's Student Representative Councilshut down campus activity and submitted a memorandum with demands around lifting fee blocks — policies that prevent students with debt from continuing their studies — for those in good academic standing, as well as transit accommodation for those excluded from housing due to outstanding debt.
Meanwhile, at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in Johannesburg, studentsembarked on a hunger strike that lasted five days in frustration over similar fee blocks, limited student housing, and registration delays. The unrest spread across the country, with Stellenbosch University, the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), the University of the Western Cape (UWC), and the University of the Free State experiencing student protests for similar reasons.The root cause of exclusion
Students face financial exclusion for various reasons. The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), a government initiative that provides students from previously disadvantaged backgrounds with bursaries for 3-year degrees, is a critical lifeline for many. However, NSFAS is notorious for delivering late payments and faces claims of fraud and unsafe student accommodation.
Phumelelani Mshumi, a Master's student and former SRC president at UWC, says NSFAS support has been scaled back: "Various academic streams out of nowhere were just said to not be funded. And now, there's a 60 percent benchmark. The government finds ways to reason itself out of the expense, which shouldn't actually be an expense. It should be a social investment, but they don't see it that way," she tells OkayAfrica.
Beyond NSFAS issues, broader socioeconomic factors contribute significantly to financial exclusion. Motlalepule Nathane, a social worker at Wits University, points to South Africa's historical inequality: "Students are excluded financially because they are from working-class families," she tells OkayAfrica. "Even with the missing middle class, the so-called middle class, some middle-class families cannot afford to finance students. They're not [poor enough] to get NSFAS; they're not [rich enough to] pay for their school, but they are somewhere in the middle. And that is the cohort of students that is mostly affected."Broken promises
The recurrence of protests suggests that fundamental issues remain unaddressed. "The concerns of students or the concerns within the sector never died. They were hushed," says Mshumi. "These are not new uprisings. The students are taking to the streets, but it doesn't mean the problems are new. Different faces lead the protests, but there's no difference in the problem here."
Promises made after the 2016 Fees Must Fall protests included increased funding for higher education, fee increase limitations, and enhanced support systems for economically challenged students. Yet Tebogo Letsie, chairperson of the portfolio committee on higher education, has termed the situationa crisis that "underscores the urgent need for greater scrutiny of these assurances. The systemic failure to address recurring student accommodation shortages reflects a broader institutional and governmental neglect of student welfare."Universities respond
Universities maintain they are doing what they can within financial constraints. Wits Universityreleased a statement last month detailing its efforts to assist students financially. It noted that in 2024, it administered R1.8 billion (around $98 million) in financial aid, bursaries and scholarships and cleared 796 students of historic debt. "Wits is doing everything possible within its means to support students. However, the University cannot erase all historic student debt or fund every student's education without risking bankruptcy or insolvency," part of the statement read.
Similarly, UCT Vice-Chancellor ProfessorMosa Moshabelaacknowledged funding shortfalls: "The funding provided in 2024 is R200 million less than anticipated. In our effort to assist as many deserving students as possible, our projection for 2024 shows that several key financial aid sponsors have spent at least R1.7 billion (audited) in support of UCT students."The human cost
The psychological impact of financial exclusion on students is devastating. Nathane observes that while some students utilize available resources or protest, others suffer silently: "Sometimes we learn about a student's financial struggles from their classmates. When this happens, we can find ways to help them. However, there are also cases where students withdraw and isolate themselves. This isolation often leads to self-harm — we see high rates of this behavior among struggling students. In severe cases, it progresses to suicide attempts. Tragically, some students return to their homes and take their lives when facing these overwhelming financial situations."
Concerningly, Nathane notes that student suicides on campus often go unreported to the broader university community: "So maybe it's a strategy, that they don't report these things, so you don't hear about it. Reports about students who attempt it will be written and submitted to relevant departments, but it is not discussed." Despite these challenges, she acknowledges that Wits has made significant progress in addressing students' mental health needs.
The way forward
Financial exclusion will continue to be a systemic challenge with broader socioeconomic impacts on South Africa's future. As Wits states in its public response, "The issue of free education and student debt clearance requires a national-level solution involving government, the public sector and private donors." Until such comprehensive solutions materialize, the cycle of protest and temporary fixes seems destined to continue, leaving generations of students caught in an ongoing struggle for educational access.
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