Tensions at Nelson Mandela University as Police Join Private Security at Blockaded Campus Entrance
The Echoes of a ‘Fall’ that Never Quite Landed
It’s 2026, and the air in Gqeberha still tastes like smoke and unresolved promises.
If you close your eyes at the North Campus gates, you can almost hear the ghosts of 2015. Back then, we were told the fees would fall. We were told the gates would swing wide. But today, the only thing falling is the rain on students who spent the night outside because their NSFAS accommodation hasn't cleared yet.
There’s a heavy irony in seeing SAPS “step in” at a university named after a man who spent 27 years fighting for the right to stand where those students are standing. It’s not just about the money anymore; it’s about the math of survival. 34,000 students are surviving, to be exact.
5,340 beds.
Countless dreams are currently "pending" on a digital portal.
#SoBasicallZA, we called it "Fees Must Fall," but maybe we should now call it "The System Must Wake Up." The barricades aren't just made of tires and debris this time, but also of red tape and "readiness assessments" that feel anything but ready.
WHAT A TIME TO BE ALIVE
