The South African Parliament has recommended urgent mediation to end a seven-year dispute between the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) and the South African Dental Technicians Council (SADTC). The standoff has left dental technology students unable to complete their training. CPUT and the council, which regulates dental technicians, have reached an impasse over new facilities at CPUT for dental students and an accreditation dispute dating back to 2019.
The dispute began in May 2025 when CPUT had to vacate the premises for students' practical training at Tygerberg Hospital. A new site was purchased in Tygervalley, but extensive work was needed. In the meantime, students were placed in laboratories on the CPUT Bellville campus to finish their practical training. However, in October 2025, the council visited the laboratories and recommended that practical training cease immediately, citing that the training laboratories were "illegal" and a "health hazard".
CPUT spokesperson Lauren Kansley stated that five students were unable to graduate in 2025 and 42 students could not progress. She noted that the intake shortfall is 25 students per year for the past three years. Kansley warned that continued delays in the resumption of the programme pose a pending oral health crisis for the country. The new dental laboratories in Tygervalley are now fully compliant, according to Kansley.
The accreditation dispute dates back to 2019, when the council introduced a joint-assessment exit exam as a condition for accreditation of dental students. However, CPUT, the Durban University of Technology, and the Tshwane University of Technology launched a case against the council in the Gauteng High Court in Pretoria earlier this year, challenging this "unfair" condition. They are also asking for a court order requiring the council to register 159 students who completed their qualifications but are not registered with the council due to the dispute.
CPUT head of department for dental sciences, Marlene Bezuidenhout, told Parliament's petitions committee that the council's exit assessment constituted "overreach". She stated that CPUT wanted the council to register the university, as it had done before 2019, and "observe university assessment processes and not interfere". Council president Peter Owen countered that the council was not just an "observer" and had statutory authority to withdraw or suspend approval of education or training when it was not satisfactory.
The Western Cape High Court dismissed CPUT's application for an urgent interdict to prevent the council from seeking consent from the Minister of Health to suspend its dental technology programme, pending the matter in the Gauteng High Court between the three universities and the council. Committee chair Dianne Kohler Barnard described the situation as a "catch-22 situation", where students find themselves in a lose-lose situation.
Deputy director-general for university education Thandi Lewin expressed concern about the situation and the students. The Department of Higher Education and Training is urged to intervene urgently and find a mediator to resolve the dispute. The council will inspect the new laboratories on 5 October, but even if they are compliant, students can only return if the longstanding dispute over registering students with the council is resolved.
Key points
- The dispute has left dental technology students unable to complete their training.
- The accreditation dispute dates back to 2019.
- Urgent mediation is recommended to resolve the seven-year standoff.
