Universities warn students not to try walk-in registrations

The four universities in the Western Cape have condemned the EFF’s suggested walk-in process as the Universities of South Africa (USAf) and the Department of Higher Education and Training's online registration process opens today.

Following the December 16 announcement by President Jacob Zuma allowing fee-free higher education for the poor, and the EFF encouraging walk-ins, the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), UCT, Stellenbosch University (SU) and UWC said that students, staff and parents could expect a smooth reopening.

CPUT spokesperson Lauren Kansley said: “We used to allow walk-ins, but later on, not early. With walk-ins this year we will only allow the students who applied on time but were put on the waiting list.

“Naturally, we have been mindful of the dangers - take, for example, what happened at University of Johannesburg a couple of years ago. The online process has worked really well at CPUT because we have not seen a large crowd during reopening,” she said.

SU spokesperson Martin Viljoen said: “The safety of students and staff and the protection of property are non-negotiable for the university,

and the institution has various contingency plans in place to make sure the welcoming and registration process runs smoothly.

“In accordance with the USAf statement, SU confirms that walk-in applications cannot be considered as applications for studying,” said Viljoen.

He said SU expected an increase in the number of already admitted students to register at the university

due to new funding possibilities.

“This implies that no new applications will be considered, as we already anticipate an increase in newcomer first-year students,” said Viljoen.

UCT spokesperson Nombuso Shabalala said their academic year would start on February19, and registration would take place in the preceding two weeks.

She said: “It has always been UCT policy that we do not accept walk-ins. We advise such students to submit

their details online to the Department of Higher Education and Training - Central Applications Clearing House.

“This system has been established to address the placement of students who did not apply to any university but who now qualify and wish to be considered for an academic space,” said Shabalala.

UWC spokesperson Luthando Tyhalibongo said precautionary measures for any eventuality were in place.

He said: “The university cannot accommodate more students than planned for due to infrastructure and teaching capacity constraints.”

lonwabo.marele@inl.co.za