By Blessing Vava
Earlier this year, University of
Wits proposed a plan to increase its tuition fees by 10%. For my friend
Modisane (not real name), a third year Law student who hails from Mpumalanga,
the fee increase would have been a major blow.
 |
| EFF's Vuyani Pambo & Former SRC President Mcebo Dlamini leading the protest at Wits. pic by Blessing Vava |
He already struggled to pay for this
years’ fees, after failing to secure the NSFAS loan from government. Many
students were in the same shoes, failing to raise the existing fees even before
the proposed increase.
The previous weeks consequently
witnessed sporadic protests by University students across South Africa,
demanding that the proposed fee increase for 2016 be scrapped. The protest
started the University of Witwatersrand on 14 October, under the hashtag
#WitsFeesMustFall, before spreading to other universities. The national
campaign adopted the hashtag #feesmustfall. The movement grew until
President Zuma responded to the students demands that the fees must fall, there
was 0% increase.But the students’ demands were not just about the zero
percent increase, rather they wanted free education.
Government must act
Modisane became part of the protest at Wits from the day it began. He attended all the meetings and marches;
singing, chanting revolutionary songs with the other students. His zeal and
determination struck me. He had no choice but to be part of this noble cause in
forcing the university to scrap the proposed fee increase, otherwise he was not
going to come back to do his final year. ”If at all the time for free education
was now inevitable, the government must act” he said to me.
Having had a not so pleasing
upbringing in the shacks of Mpumalanga, Modisane’s hopes to continue studying
were renewed by the #feesmustfall campaign. As the students of South Africa
were claiming their space fighting for their constitutional right, across the
Limpopo in Zimbabwe students were watching with envy. YES, the environment in
Zimbabwe is repressive and the students union was demobilised, but there is one
or two lessons that we can learn.
 |
| The 'Blunt'Blade? SA's Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande |
The #feesmustfall campaign united
students from diverse political persuasions in speaking with one voice against
the fee increase. And as a result, even those students who were not interested
in politics became part of the campaign. It remains my wish that the students
movement in Zimbabwe rise above political affiliation and fight for academic
freedoms. Higher education remains expensive and a preserve for the elite in
Zimbabwe, its simply if you are poor you cannot access education. Yet in 1980,
the new government preached education for all by the year 2000.
Generational mission
The #feesmustfall campaign was at
least a stepping stone that galvanized young South Africans to safeguard their
future. I was impressed by how the students mobilized using social media, and
the night vigils, marches showed me that yes, indeed this generation is
determined to discover its mission.
Modisane’s father perished
underground, in a disused gold mine as he was looking for the precious mineral
to fend for his family. He told me about how his mother; a helper at a local
hospital in Mpumalanga, now the bread winner, struggled to raise his university
fees. Since he was an intelligent student, Modisane’s mother sacrificed for her
son, and hopes one day he will be a great lawyer. As the eldest son in a family
of five, he is expected to also assist in the upkeep of his siblings.
Born Free
Modisane was born at the advent of
South Africa’s independence, at the end of apartheid. The racist apartheid laws
had favoured the white minority, and good quality health and education delivery
had been a preserve for a minority. The election of a black government meant
the redressing of these imbalances. The masses had hope. In fact, the ANC
promised to fulfil the dreams of the freedom charter which said ”the doors of
learning shall be opened for all.”
The students of South Africa are
simply fighting against the residual effects of that system of segregation.
Twenty one years after the dawn of independence, society is still yearning for
better; the thousands of students who are marched for the #feesmustfall
campaign are simply asking the authorities why they are still paying high
tuition fees. The struggle was fought so that there would be equal
opportunities for everyone. And for the students, it was clear that free
education comes as part of that package to correct the injustices of apartheid,
which for decades excluded the black child from accessing free education.
Economic exclusion
The high fees charged by universities
across South Africa have excluded many from accessing higher education.
Students have found an opportunity to press the government for free education,
but there are a lot of underlying factors. The debate around transformation of
educational institutions remains topical. The government has shifted blame on
the autonomy enjoyed by universities, whom they accuse of ‘wantonly’ increasing
fees. On the other hand, the authorities argue that it is the government that
is not giving enough funds to subsidize fees such that students do not bear the
burden of paying tuition fees.
Aluta continua
For now, some are celebrating the
victory of a zero percent. But for Modisane and thousands of other students,
its aluta continua until the struggle for free quality education is achieved in
South Africa. For them the fees did not fall; it was just not increased. The
government announced that they need at around 25-30 billion to every year to
achieve free education, it is yet to be seen how they will fundraise to achieve
that goal.
Meanwhile frustrations keep growing
not just amongst students but to most of the young people who are also
clamouring for employment, as those graduating are waiting to be employed. It is
not just about the fees, but signs of a deep rooted crisis waiting to explode if not
handled carefully. This is quite a mouthful for the ANC government, and with
the way events are unfolding it seems the honeymoon is now over. For the South
African government, and other African governments in general, its now time for
real delivery.
***Article first appeared on Ilizwi http://ilizwi263.com/2015/feesmustfall-time-to-deliver
Blessing
Vava writes from Soweto, Johannersburg. He can be contacted on blessingvava@gmail.com
