Cape Town – The Department of Higher Education said on Wednesday that the estimated costs of damage to property at universities nationwide had increased by more than R100m, putting the overall cost since October 2015 at R459m.
Replying to oral questions in the National Assembly, Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande said the department was in the process of investigating which universities would be lodging insurance claims to cover some of the damages.
In April, Nzimande said in a reply to a written question from the DA that the nationwide fees' protests resulted in more than R300m in damages. The latest figures which reflect the period of March to May show staggering figures of as much as R100m worth of damages in just two months.
Some of the universities that have been the worst affected over this period include the University of Johannesburg (R100m), Tshwane University of Technology (R34m) and the Vaal University of Technology (R7m).
The overall cost of damages for the universities is now:
Cape Peninsula University of Technology: R689 850
University of Cape Town: R3.2m
University of Fort Hare: R8m
University of Free State: R5.2m
University of Johannesburg: R100m
University of KZN: R82m
University of Limpopo: R4m
North West University: R151m
University of Pretoria: R30 000
Rhodes University: R250 000
University of SA: R395 154
Stellenbosch University: R1.4m
Tshwane University of Technology: R39m
Vaal University of Technology: R7m
Walter Sisulu: R351 287
University of the Western Cape: R46m
University of the Witswatersrand: R4.9m
University of Zululand: R4.5m
Total: R459 835 118
Nzimande said the department had contributed an amount of R40 496m towards damages at five historically disadvantaged universities. These included the University of Fort Hare (R8m), Zululand (R4.5m), the Western Cape (R25.858m), Walter Sisulu (R351 287) and Limpopo (R1.786m).
The University of KwaZulu-Natal, University of Limpopo, Tshwane University of Technology and the University of the Western Cape have since lodged claims with insurers estimated at R106.917m.
Insurers have already paid out R28.277m.
