CPUT students demand justice and safety after alleged rape incident

Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) students put their books aside, not to rest, but to rise up. Fear and anger swept through the Observatory campus after a 23-year-old student was allegedly raped by a fellow student at the Catsville residence.

The 24-year-old accused appeared briefly in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Monday, where the case was postponed until November 3 for a formal bail application. He remains in custody.

Speaking to the media outside court on Monday, Catsville resident and CPUT student Siyolise Nomnganga said they set their studies aside to show solidarity with the victim and to demand safety for women on campus.

“This is study week for us and we should be preparing for our exams, but we decided to give up our time to show our support for our sister,” Nomnganga said. “We are frustrated, but there is a sense of relief that the perpetrator is still behind bars. We want to make it clear that we don’t want this perpetrator out on the streets.”

Nomnganga said many students no longer felt safe in their residences and often had to look out for one another. “Our sisters aren’t safe. There are constantly messages on our groups about voices in the passages and people knocking at their doors. We have to wake up to check on them and make sure they are safe.”

He also questioned how the accused, an education student, could be trusted to work with children. “He is somebody who is supposed to be trusted with children, but if he can’t be trusted around adults, how can he be left alone with children?”

Students have also called for tighter security and stronger action from the university to ensure women’s safety in student housing.

CPUT has confirmed that it is cooperating with police investigations and that internal disciplinary proceedings are under way. Counselling and support services have been activated for the victim and affected students.

The case has once again highlighted South Africa’s gender-based violence crisis, with police data showing more than 10 600 rape cases reported in the first quarter of the 2024/25 financial year — a grim reminder that for many students, even campus is not a safe space.

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