Photo News | ‘We’d rather die than go home’: Wits students

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Scores of Wits University students took to the streets of Parktown and Braamfontein, Johannesburg, on Friday, blocking the main entrance to the campus in protest against “financial exclusion” and demanding the suspensions of 14 students be lifted.

The South African Students Congress (Sasco) gathered students in the early hours of Friday and blocked Yale Road North entrance on Empire Road to have their demands heard.

Sasco member Zwelimangele Volsaka told TimesLIVE that many students have been unable to register due to their outstanding debt.

Volsaka said the university provides a R55,000 “hardship fund” to indebted students who can only register once half their debt is paid.

“Some students owe more than R100,000. This includes historic debt so that means the fund cannot help them as they will still have outstanding fees. They cannot register, even though the academic year started a month ago,” he said.

“The university wants students to pay 50% of their debt and I can tell you right now, half of the students don’t have that amount of money,

Wits students protesting for registration applications in Braamfontein in February 20 2026. (Mukovhe Mulidzwi)

“Our conscious will not allow other black students to suffer all in the name of ‘you have outstanding fees’. A majority of them cannot afford to go home, including myself.”

Volsaka said accommodation fees at the university were high. The cheapest accommodation — available to a maximum of 300 students — is R55,000 per annum.

“We have students coming all the way from the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and other parts of the country who cannot afford to go back home. Their dreams will be shattered,” Volsaka said

EFF deputy secretary Lebo Sebolao said they submitted a memorandum of demands on Monday, pleading that students who owe less than R150,000 be allowed to register. Demands raised by the students include:

extending the registration period for another two weeks;
registering all students regardless of academic criteria;
registering all students who have historic debt, irrespective of the amount owed; and
lifting the (precautionary) suspensions of 14 students.

“Our registration fee is R10,000 but students can’t register due to a backlog of fees,” said Sebolao. “We’ve tried all that we could but the school is ignorant of our demands. Instead, they want students to go home which is impossible.

Wits students protesting in Braamfontein against Wits University’s refusal to allow them to register. (Mukovhe Mulidzwi)

“Something the National Student Financial Aid Scheme [NSFAS] defunds students for no particular reason or life happens, parents get retrenched and therefore can’t pay for fees.

“We would rather die in the streets of Braamfontein than be deprived of an education.”

During the week-long demonstration, the university suspended 14 SRC members for 45 days, allegedly for their involvement in the protest.

The students have been protesting since Monday.

SRC secretary-general Antonett Khoza said she was unfairly suspended by the university as it alleged she was part of the demonstration.

“They told me I was part of the demonstration but when I told them to check the system, they said I’m under investigation,” Khoza said

“Even after appealing to the school, they separately printed out my suspension letter that does not state the reason for my suspension. I don’t know what I am going to do during the suspension period. I have nowhere to go as I’m not allowed on campus.”

Wits students stage a protest on February 20 2026, demanding that students with debt be allowed to register. (Mukovhe Mulidzwi)

A Progressive Youth Alliance (PYA) member who chose to remain anonymous said they wanted the university residence fees to be capped at the NSFAS rate of R52,000 per year, about R5,200 per month, as opposed to the current rate of R53,000,” she said.

“It is hypocritical for the university to demand their money when they can’t give us our qualifications once we’ve graduated in order to get a job so we can pay them back. We need to graduate, get jobs and take care of our families.”

TimesLIVE reached out to the university’s senior executive team which stated that R20m has been allocated to help students register and secure accommodation via the Wits Registration Assistance Fund (WRAF). It said it had made several concessions to enable students to register for the 2026 academic year that were in line with the students’ demands.

“We matched the funds raised by the SRC and R6m then allocated them to help students register via the Wits SRC Access Fund,” it said

“Students who have received funding from the WRAF and the Wits SRC Access Fund have been allowed to register this week on a case-by-case basis, provided that they meet the relevant academic criteria.”

The university said it has also extended the registration period.

“With only three weeks remaining, Wits is also at capacity with just over 40,000 students registered to date,” it said.

“The university is committed to assisting students as far as resources allow.”