A Legacy in Flames: Fort Hare’s Deep-Seated Crisis Erupts Into Violence
By Lungelo Luthuli
Alice, Eastern Cape – The Fort Hare University, hailed as the "Cradle of Leaders" for its role in the development of icons like Nelson Mandela, is facing a severe crisis. Its Alice campus, symbol of academic liberation, is now shrouded with smoke and animosity following days of furious protests that have led to a complete institutional shutdown, numerous arrests, and an estimated hundreds of millions in losses (Martin, 2025; Magubeni, 2025a).
What is Unfolding?
In early October 2025, the crisis is at its highest at which point student protests turn into violence. Massive damage was done to key facilities on campus by protesters who burnt the Administration Block, Student Centre, and Auditorium to the tune of between R250 million and R500 million (Martin, 2025; Magubeni, 2025a). The South African Police Service (SAPS) countered with rubber bullets, apprehended eight people associated with the acts of violence against people, and released four security personnel, who were taken hostage (Magubeni, 2025a). The university has since responded by closing its Alice and East London campuses and all students have been ordered to leave (Kgobotlo, 2025).
Who is Involved?
The struggle is between the student community, by means of unions, such as South African Students Congress (SASCO), and the Vice-Chancellor Professor Sahela Buhlungu and the university administration. It has risen to high politics when Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane demanded action to be taken by the Minister of Higher Education, Buti Manamela (Magubeni, 2025b; Kgobotlo, 2025).
Why the Anger? The Root Causes
Student leaders also relate the outburst of anger as a "historical build-up of a number of issues" (Martin, 2025). The underlying agenda consists of long-standing grievances about inadequate security, inadequate accommodation, delayed student allowances, and inadequate support services (Martin, 2025). But the initial push was a move students viewed as deeply undemocratic: suspending Student Representative Council (SRC) elections by university management and overimposing an interim SRC, alongside attempts to amend the student government constitution without proper student consultation (Kgobotlo, 2025; Martin, 2025). As United Democratic Student's Movement (UDESMO) member Lucia Matomane explained, such frustration has been met "not with dialogue and reform, but with silence, interdicts, and sometimes violence" (Kgobotlo, 2025).
How Are Authorities Responding?
While empathizing with the frustrations of students, authorities have deplored the destruction across the board. Minister Manamela emphasized that it "robs future generations of learning opportunities and diverts scarce resources from improving the quality of education" (Kgobotlo, 2025). Premier Mabuyane, himself an old student, lamented the destruction of "one of the proud legacies of the Eastern Cape" (Magubeni, 2025b). A ministerial team is currently on the ground, meeting with all stakeholders to calm tensions and create a strategy to restore stability and order (Kgobotlo, 2025).
As the smoke clears over the historic campus, the pressing question remains: Can the 'Cradle of Leaders' heal its deep wounds and reclaim its legacy, or will the scars of this conflict define its future?
References
Kgobotlo, B. (2025) 'Buti Manamela, student movement call for order at Fort Hare', Sowetan, 9 October.
Magubeni, C. (2025a) 'Eight arrested in the Fort Hare university strike, cops still searching for arsonists', Sowetan, 9 October.
Magubeni, C. (2025b) 'Premier calls Minister Buti Manamela to intervene in Fort Hare student protests', Sowetan, 7 October.
Martin, C. (2025) 'Fort Hare University closes campuses as violent protests erupt: 'It's a historical build-up of several issues' - SASCO', 702, 10 October.
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