We have shown the world that negotiation can change history, so stop raising the political temperature and start talking, writes Tutu Faleni.
During my short-lived sojourn as a student at Fort Hare, there was a popular war cry which rallied everyone against the atrocities of apartheid .
The protests were often in solidarity with those who suffered brutalities in the townships by the apartheid police.
The call for protest action found its expression in the Xhosa words “Inkululeko ngoku, isidanga ngomso” which loosely translated meant “We want freedom now and a university degree in the future”.
This was a heartfelt, passionate and deeply emotional expression against the injustices of the system.
In those years, Fort Hare students stood united in their frequent protest action against all injustices of apartheid.
In response to the rallying call many students lost a year or even more in their varsity studies.
Some who lost out can now be found on the benches of the judiciary, some are cabinet ministers and others are accomplished business people.
Those who valued completing their degrees on time and chose not to boycott final exams would be labelled as “dissenters” for the rest of their adult lives.
As you would have it in life, most of those who belonged to the generation of the Inkululeko ngoku isidanga ngomso movement have retired, some have died and those who are in politics, professional work and business are bordering on retirement age. But they have left behind a legacy of abiding by the fundamental principle of making personal sacrifices for the common good. The new generation of varsity students owe their freedom to the Inkululeko ngoku, isidanga ngomso generation that sacrificed some of their time by way of losing a year or even more towards the completion of their varsity studies. They did all this in pursuit of democracy and freedom for all.
The FeesMustFall movement takes place within the context of a government which has performed poorly in taking the majority of black people out of poverty and all the social ills associated with economic deprivation.
Our collective conscience must make us stand and rise against any form of political narrative that seeks to compromise or eliminate our constitutional order.
As much as we should all guard against the degeneration of our country into another failed African country, we have a historical and moral obligation to do the following:
* To challenge the failed economic policies of the ANC-led government which has led to joblessness, unemployment and an ever-increasing gap between the extremely rich and poor.
* Speak and act against a socio-economic landscape where those who openly flaunt their “new money” are connected with politicians at all levels of government.
* Act on the recommendations of the "State of Capture" report which has made claims with far-reaching implications that some wealthy individuals have taken over the many aspects of the affairs of government so as to unfairly and in some cases illegally advance their goals of wealth accumulation.
The newly formed National Education Crisis Forum (NECF) is an important initiative by civil society formations which could, among other things, assist in averting violent protests when students resume their new academic year.
The NECF must brace itself for a bumpy road in its endeavour of stabilising the higher education landscape.
Its constituent members must be politically independent and none of them must be seen to be advancing the cause of a faction within the ANC's succession battles.
We are a country that has shown the world that negotiations can bring peace and stability in the most difficult circumstances brought about by history.
This is another opportunity for us to show the world and our African countrymen and women that “a pen is mightier than the sword”.
If we were to draw any lessons from the Codesa process, the first major task for the NECF is to create an environment that is conducive to constructive negotiations.
This can be achieved by, among other things, taking the following critically important practical steps:
* Students not engaging in violent protests, peaceful protests are exercising a constitutional right. This must be supported.
* Withdrawal of police and security forces from the university campuses.
* Amnesty should be granted for all those who were arrested and or charged as a result of participating in the fees must fall protests.
This should not be viewed as undermining the rule of the law but it should be seen as a last ditch effort aimed at persuading students to come back to the negotiation table.
* Students who cannot pay the required registration fee should be provided with provisional registration.
No deserving student should be refused a place at a university based on failure or inability to pay the required registration fee.
* All historical debt must be written off especially where there is sufficient basis to prove inability to pay on the part of the students affected by historical debts.
* Political leaders must stop using inflammatory language that incites
violence when making public speeches around the fees issues.
A peaceful and stable environment would accelerate the implementation of immediate solutions which serve as a necessary foundation for the development of long-term sustainable solutions to what is a national crisis.
We also need to put in some money for the initiatives of the NECF, in a form of an emergency fund. (in the Nguni languages, it is often said “faka imali uzo bona” - loosely translated “put money and you will see things change” including the conduct of people.
The beneficiaries of the flawed BEE policies, who literally made billions from the sweat and tears of our people, should be the main contributors to the proposed NECF emergency fund.
Public representatives such as members of Parliament (including the president) should make a one-off contribution to the fund.
The NECF will require the support of all those who love our country.
The way we manage the higher education fees crisis will determine our successes in responding effectively to the challenges of higher education across all our universities including other similar national challenges.
The NECF is not a perfect response to the varsity fees crisis and there is no perfect response in national crisis.
Every nation must fight and win its battles within the context of the constitution, democracy and peaceful co-existence with itself and other nations.
Our time has come to do such. In
response to the call by the previous generations of the University of Fort Hare students, let us, as a nation, respond to the call of Inkululeko ngoku, isidanga ngomso.
* Faleni (PhD) is a DA member of the North West Provincial Legislature. He writes in his personal capacity.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.