Johannesburg - The ruling ANC on Monday warned against what it termed attempts to use the recent protests against high university fees as a means to destabilise South Africa.
The ANC issued a statement on Monday after a meeting of its National Executive Committee (NEC) in Tshwane on Friday and Saturday and said it was concerned at recent events which it said pointed to the “early signs of counter-revolution”.
The NEC received and discussed a number of reports including a presentation on the funding of the Post School Education and Training Sector, an update on the National Health Insurance and measures to deal with the current drought conditions in large parts of South Africa.
ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe said the NEC “dedicated a lot of time to discussing the state of higher education in the country”.
He said while the objective was clear, the funding and allocation of resources was lagging behind.
“The NEC further acknowledged that the commitment to finding the money to fund the no fee increase in 2016 was a correct and reasonable one.”
Support was expressed for the appointment of a commission by President Jacob Zuma to look into issues raised during the recent country-wide protests including the issue of no fee increases, registration fees, student debt and the high drop-out rate among students.
Mantashe said: “The NEC reflected on heightened student activism during 2015 and applauded the increased conscientisation of students across race and political affiliation; a necessary precondition for the people to be agents of change.
“On the student protests, the NEC re-affirmed the view that the demand of no fee increase in 2016 was understandable and reasonable.”
The NEC, however, expressed grave concern about attempts to use genuine concerns of students for other objectives. “Raising new demands when the original demands were met was seen as an effort to agitate and sustain discontent.”
The ANC NEC further slammed the violence which erupted on some university campuses.
“The destruction of property and facilities that are of service to the students themselves was condemned as the work of anarchists who are intent to destroy the future of many students,” the NEC said.
“Blocking students from writing their year-end examinations after their demand was addressed positively and commitment to further engage was made, was identified as part of the programme to destabilise the country.”
The NEC went on to describe what it said were the “early signs of counter-revolution”.
It listed a number of incidents, including:
- Targeting the state and state institutions, particularly the attempt to storm Parliament and Union Buildings when the government was amenable to engagement.
- Slogans about regime change when issues were being addressed
- Foreign funding that was channelled to various student accounts in a number of campuses
- Provocation of police into confrontation with the pronounced desire to trigger a massacre, “another Marikana”
- Setting up of units of destruction in the various campuses under the slogan of total shut-down
- Undermining of elected Students’ Representative Councils and replacing them with student committees led by individuals from organisations that lost SRC elections
The ANC called on South Africans to be “more vigilant and appreciate that the broader threats of counter-revolution beyond the university campuses, as witnessed in other countries, are a reality of the day”.
It continued: “The killing of police is part of the programme to undermine the state. The NEC appealed to all South Africans to support the police and encourage them to act decisively in instances of anarchy and blatant undermining of the state and its institutions. Police must be able to ensure the maximum safety and security of the citizens at all time.”
The NEC, while congratulating the newly elected leadership of the ANC in KwaZulu-Natal, said it noted the “unfortunate and developing tendency of appeals that arise based on the outcome of conferences”.
Supporters of KZN Premier Senzo Mchunu have staged protests at the outcome of the provincial conference in which he was replaced as provincial secretary by Sihle Zikalala.
On the drought situation which has hit large parts of South Africa, the NEC called on South Africans to preserve water.
“The NEC reaffirms government’s call to all South Africans including domestic users, businesses, the mining sector, energy and agriculture to review their current water use and management practices.”
ANA
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