Cyril Ramaphosa’s 2026 State of the Nation Address (SONA) in Cape Town was met with loud student protests just metres away from the venue. The main issue was the growing student accommodation crisis, led by students from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT).
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What Happened at SONA 2026?
Students gathered outside Cape Town City Hall carrying bags, blankets, and personal belongings to show that many of them had nowhere to stay. They wanted urgent government intervention and direct attention from the President and the Higher Education Ministry.
The protest quickly became one of the most talked-about moments surrounding SONA 2026.
CPUT Student Accommodation Protest
The protest followed weeks of tension at CPUT over student housing shortages and poor living conditions at some NSFAS-accredited private residences.
Key student complaints included:
- Shortage of available residence space
- Rooms described as not habitable
- Water and sanitation problems
- Alleged evictions linked to funding delays
- Students being reassigned or replaced in rooms
- Some students reportedly sleeping in toilets or outside buildings
University management said campus-owned beds were already at full capacity (over 16,000 beds filled), leaving late-placed or unfunded students to seek private accommodation.
Students rejected the explanation and said the crisis repeats every year.
Higher Education Minister Response
Buti Manamela visited the scene after the protest and met with university leadership and student representatives. He said he had warned two weeks earlier that a protest could happen around SONA due to unresolved accommodation pressures.
After inspecting some rooms at Ekhaya student residence, he acknowledged that certain rooms were not suitable for students.
His main commitments:
- No student will sleep outside
- No confirmed evictions should take place
- Immediate building inspections will be conducted
- Uninhabitable rooms must be replaced with alternatives
- NSFAS and the university must arrange substitute housing where needed
- Joint inspections with student leaders will proceed
He publicly apologised to affected students for poor room conditions he personally observed.
However, many protesting students said they did not trust the assurances and feared being removed again after returning to residences.
President’s SONA Promise on Universities and TVET Expansion
During SONA, President Ramaphosa addressed the broader higher education pressure facing the country.
He announced that:
- Government plans to expand access to higher education
- More universities and TVET colleges will be developed
- Some new institutions will have specialised focus areas
- The Ministers of Finance and Higher Education were directed to prepare expansion proposals
- Student accommodation shortages are now a priority issue
- Government is working with financial institutions on new student housing funding models
The accommodation crisis was officially recognized as a national constraint to education access.
Other Groups Protesting at SONA
The CPUT students were not the only protesters present. Other groups also demonstrated near the SONA venue.
Protest groups included:
- Operation Dudula — protesting unemployment, immigration policy, and public service access
- Stop the Farm Killings movement — calling for farm attacks to be treated as priority crimes
- Student political formations and civil groups
While these protests focused on different issues, the student housing protest drew the strongest public reaction because of the visible presence of displaced students with luggage.
University Management Position
CPUT leadership stated:
- Not all protesters were verified displaced students
- Only a small number were confirmed to need accommodation
- No mass evictions were officially authorized
- Protests may have been timed to coincide with SONA visibility
- A formal report will be submitted to the Department of Higher Education
- Internal investigations and possible disciplinary processes may follow
Student organizations disputed this version and maintained that the housing crisis is real and ongoing.
Why the SONA Student Protest Matters
The SONA 2026 student protest highlights a deeper national problem:
- Rising university admissions without matching housing growth
- Heavy dependence on private student accommodation
- NSFAS funding timing gaps
- Quality control failures at accredited residences
- Repeated yearly accommodation protests
With more matric graduates entering higher education each year, infrastructure pressure is increasing faster than capacity expansion.
What Happens Next?
Following the protest:
- Government inspections of student residences are underway
- NSFAS and universities are expected to provide alternatives for unsafe rooms
- Expansion proposals for new universities and TVET colleges are in development
- New student accommodation funding models are being explored
Students say they will continue monitoring delivery — not just promises.
If housing shortages are not fixed before the academic year fully resumes, further campus protests are likely.