Students from the University of Witwatersrand (Wits) embarked on #WitsFeesMustFall campaign demanding that the proposed 10.5 fees increment for 2016 academic year be suspended. What started as #WitsFessMustFall soon escalated to University of Cape Town (UCT), University of Stellenbosch (Matties) and the University of Free State (UFS) becoming a nationwide #FeesMustFall by all universities.
The bone of contention for Wits students was that they came from under-privileged backgrounds of single parenthood where parents hardly receive 6% salary increases from employers. University rectors and officials from department of Higher Education adopted a nonchalant approach to #FeesMustFall campaign added fuel to fire until things fell apart.
Only after students had vandalised property, clashed with police and invaded parliamentary precinct did officials wake up to the most rebellious post-apartheid student activism. One of the major propellants of #FeesMustFall was the 8th principle of Freedom Charter which proclaims "Doors of learning and culture shall be opened for all." The principle further elaborates " Education shall be free, compulsory, universal and equal for all children; Higher education and technical training shall be opened to all by means of state allowances and scholarships awarded on the basis of merit. The colour bar in cultural life, in sport and in education shall be abolished."
As the only surviving custodian of Freedom Charter, ANC should have grabbed the opportunity to engage students on how this ideal would be realised. It should have also accentuated the strides made through TEFSA which later became NSFAS. The students' march to Luthuli House, Union Buildings and parliamentary precinct shouldn't be misconstrued as an attack against ANC.
In the face of unrelenting capitalist academia students had to seek recourse from the party they elected to lead government. Though disappointed, students were willing to grant President Jacob Zuma an audience as opposed to any other political leader. True to their struggle, students refused to be used as political pawns by forces of anarchy whose aim was to advance prima donna interests.
The 0% fees increment announced by Zuma on 23rd October is a victory to students on their well marshalled struggle. In my books however, 0% increment is a temporary reprieve - registration and tuition fees still remain exorbitant at South African universities. Most poor black students are still systematically excluded by high fees and plunge further into "black debt."
In 2014 Global Financial Integrity ( GFI) reported that South Africa loses R147 billion per annum due to illicit capital flight - this is the money that could have made free education possible. What 0% increment has not answered however is: will NSFAS inject more funds to enable students to service their debts with universities and what impact will 0% increment have on future salary increases of poor non-academic staff at universities?
University councils must account what informs their above-inflation fees hikes when they produce unemployable graduates en masse, who add further burden to the state. Government should streamline it's funding model to universities in tandem with production that adds value to the country's economy. A microscopic view must be taken into annual perks that go into pockets of university management teams.
Competition commission should also look for signs of possible collusion on fees-fixing by universities. Until all these measures are taken, the struggle for fees will continue. As Freedom Charter concludes "These freedoms we shall fight for, side by side, throughout our lives, until we have won our liberty." Government be warned that #FeesMustFall inferno shall not be extinguished by a few empty promises that lack political-will. Students realised that the term "Previously disadvantaged" is a misnomer, as a matter of fact - they are Permanently Disadvantaged. Female student leaders rose to the occasion, wore their doeks like struggle veterans Lilian Ngoyi and Winnie Mandela and took the fight to capitalist academia who expect poor black students to reconcile with lack of education in the name of social cohesion.
