Police fired rubber bullets and stun grenades to disperse about 100 protesters outside Rhodes University’s graduation ceremony near the 1820 Settlers National Monument in Makhanda on 2 October 2026, resulting in 13 student arrests. The students were protesting Rhodes University’s 2027 fee-payment protocol, which requires settling debts before registration.
SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana confirmed the arrests and said the students defied an Eastern Cape High Court interim interdict granted on 30 September 2026. The court order legally prohibits protest actions aimed at disrupting the graduation proceedings.
“The order bars them from participating in, encouraging, facilitating and/or promoting any unlawful activities on campus,” the court ruling stated, according to a Daily Maverick report. The matter is set to return to court on 27 October 2026.
Police said no serious injuries were reported during the dispersal. However, student accounts differ from police narratives. One Rhodes student, quoted by Grocott’s Mail, said: “We wanted our concerns to be visible and for university leadership to acknowledge the seriousness of what students are experiencing.” Another student told Sowetan that the crowd was peaceful until police ordered them to leave within five minutes, after which stun grenades were deployed and arrests began.
Rhodes University said earlier campus protests disrupted essential services, including access to student residences and other operations critical to graduation. Despite tensions, the university proceeded with the ceremony while emphasising that the interim interdict remains in place.
This unrest forms part of a broader dispute over the student debt protocol Rhodes University plans for 2027, which critics argue will limit access to education for financially vulnerable students.
Independent reports from Daily Maverick, TimesLive, and GroundUp agree on the key facts, though precise details such as the exact number of protesters at every moment, injuries sustained, and identities of those arrested remain unverifiable. Police denied using live ammunition, and confirmed the use of rubber bullets and stun grenades only.
The next court hearing will provide further clarity on the legality of the protests and the enforcement of the interdict against them.