- NotInMyName wants SAPS to pay R90,000 in legal fees for 13 students arrested during a protest against the 2027 Rhodes Student Fees Protocol.
- The students were granted bail, and their charges were dismissed when they appeared in court on 5 October 2026.
- The Rhodes SRC has launched a BackaBuddy campaign to raise the money needed to pay the lawyers who represented them.
NotInMyName has called on the South African Police Service (SAPS) to pay R90,000 in legal fees for 13 students arrested during a protest against the 2027 Rhodes Student Fees Protocol.
The protests centred on the university’s proposed 2027 Protocol on the Payment of Student Fees, which requires self-funded undergraduate students with outstanding balances to pay at least 50% of their debt before registering.
Students who enter payment arrangements must also pay at least R3,000 a month towards their remaining balance. The protocol further provides that students without confirmed NSFAS funding who owe more than R25,000 at registration will face restrictions on admission to university residences.
The students were granted bail and provided with legal representation, with the charges against them dismissed when they appeared in court on 5 October 2026.
NotInMyName said these arrests are part of what it sees as a continuing pattern of heavy-handed policing, unlawful detention and the victimisation of students. “The unjust arrest of 13 Rhodes University students in Makhanda during recent peaceful fee protests is a glaring abuse of state power and part of ongoing tactics aimed at intimidating and criminalising student voices and their constitutional rights,” the organisation said.
The group added that students exercising their right to protest and demand accessible education should not have to face tear gas, rubber bullets, wrongful arrest or psychological trauma.
The organisation said the financial burden of the arrests should not fall on the students or the broader community. “We demand that the South African Police Service take full responsibility and pay all legal fees, amounting to R90,000, for the defence of these 13 students who were wrongfully detained,” NotInMyName said.
SRC launches fundraising campaign
Meanwhile, the Rhodes University Student Representative Council (SRC) has launched a BackaBuddy campaign to raise the R90,000 needed to pay the lawyers who represented the students.
“The SRC would like to thank the lawyers who assisted our students with their case. We now ask for your help in paying them. Please help us raise funds to pay the lawyers who ensured our students made it home safely,” the SRC said.
NotInMyName said students and their representative bodies should not have to start fundraising campaigns or rely on public donations to cover legal costs resulting from arrests.
“Students and groups like the Rhodes University Student Representative Council SRC should not be forced to launch fundraising campaigns or rely on public donations just to cover legal costs that come from state-sponsored harassment,” the group said.
The organisation also called on the Minister of Police and the National Police Commissioner to step in, make sure the legal bill is paid and reimbursed immediately, and to issue a public apology to the students involved.
It also said SAPS should be held accountable for the administrative and financial damages caused by what it described as unlawful detentions. “Taxpayers and students should not have to pay for police overreach,” NotInMyName said.
University agrees to revise fees protocol
The debate over legal fees comes as Rhodes University and the SRC have found some common ground after meeting on Monday, 5 October. In a statement, the university said the discussion led to several concessions and new agreements regarding the 2027 Protocol on Payment of Student Fees.
The university said it would revise the protocol and submit its recommendations to the University Council for approval. Vice-Chancellor Professor Sizwe Mabizela said the meeting showed what can be achieved when the university and student representatives have real discussions.
“As the university, we have always been ready to engage in real discussions with our SRC and the entire student body. We wanted to understand the concerns students raised, address points of disagreement and find practical, workable solutions,” Mabizela said.
He added that earlier engagement between the university and the SRC might have prevented some of what happened.
The protests also resulted in an interim court order that stops students from continuing with protest action. The case is expected back in court on 27 October 2026.
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