TENSIONS remain high at the University of the Free State (UFS) after six students arrested during violent protests over the scrapping of provisional registration appeared in court on Monday.
Police said the students were arrested in the early hours of Saturday, 11 October, for allegedly throwing a petrol bomb at a security guard room on Bedenhoust Street near the institution’s Bloemfontein campus.
They were released on warning after appearing in the Bloemfontein Magistrates Court.
“The nine students arrested for public violence and the six for malicious damage to property and attempted arson are expected back in court on 4 November 2025,” said police spokesperson Colonel Thabo Covane.
The arrests follow weeks of unrest on the Bloemfontein and QwaQwa campuses after the university confirmed it would phase out provisional registration from 2026 – a policy that previously allowed students with outstanding fees to register while seeking funding.
In a statement on Monday, UFS spokesperson Lacea Loader said the institution was introducing “a fairer, more equitable and sustainable financial support system” from next year.
“This means that, from 2026, students will be fully registered once their fees or funding have been confirmed,” she said.
“This approach allows students to plan and manage their registration while providing certainty about their registration status. It also provides an opportunity for the phasing out of provisional registration.”
Loader emphasised that the new system, reportedly agreed upon with the Institutional Student Representative Council (ISRC), would not affect NSFAS-funded students or those with debts below R30 000, provided they meet certain payment conditions.
Students owing more than R30 000 must reduce their debt to that threshold to qualify for full registration.
Loader said the university could no longer sustain allowing indebted students to register, with unpaid fees nearing R1 billion over the past five years.
“For many years, the UFS was the only university in South Africa that allowed students to register while they still had outstanding fees,” she said.
“This practice reflected the university’s commitment to access and success for all students.
“However, there are deep concerns about the rising levels of student debt and the accumulation, together with other contributing factors, amounting to close to a billion rand over the past five years.
“If we continue with past practices, the university’s sustainability is at risk, which will impact students, staff and the institution.”
The university has also launched a student-centred financial support strategy, including early bursary applications, targeted financial advice and new funding initiatives such as the VC-ISRC Imbewu Legacy Fund to assist students at risk.
However, student leaders remain opposed to the policy shift, accusing the university of excluding the poor.
Sporadic demonstrations have continued despite tighter campus security. – Staff Reporter