Staff Reporters
Cape Town - Moments after Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande announced the 2017 fee increment decision, students from UCT, Stellenbosch University and Wits vowed to throw their “full might” behind relaunching the #FeesMustFall movement.
At Wits, shouts of anger and frustration echoed through Solomon Mahlangu House, where thousands of students had gathered to listen to Nzimande’s announcement.
“Comrades, we aren’t going to entertain that 8 percent! We want free education now! We are shutting down!” shouted incoming Student Representative Council (SRC) president Kefentse Mkhari.
He urged students to remain peaceful as they marched across the campus in a bid to disrupt lectures and encourage more students to join in.
Walking through the corridors, students being told to leave lecture halls and join struggle. #FeesMustFall2016 pic.twitter.com/r22JRjxSP4
— Ilanit Chernick (@LanC_02) September 19, 2016
Students now moving to science stadium as they hear of lectures happening there. #FeesMustFall2016 pic.twitter.com/fJiLRVwf8s
— Ilanit Chernick (@LanC_02) September 19, 2016
The EFF Student Command chairperson at Wits, Koketso Poho, echoed these sentiments, shouting that “education for all or no education at all”.
Several students said they would fight as long as it took to have no increase put in place.
A student who identified herself only as Thabile said: “If the government had money for jets, Nkandla and condoms, then they could find the money for education.”
Thandeka said: “We’re unhappy about this. Varsity fees are already a burden and we still owe loans, so how are we going to cope with another increase? We have no choice but to fight it.”
Later in the afternoon, the students blocked all entrances in retaliation to being barred from re-entering Solomon Mahlangu House. There was a strong police and private security presence on the campus, and at one point a skirmish broke out between several students and private security guards.
Students moving to block Yale Road entrance #feesmustfall2016 #Wits pic.twitter.com/OZ25JIvH7a
— Ilanit Chernick (@LanC_02) September 19, 2016
Students claimed they were physically removed and pepper-sprayed.
At Stellenbosch University students started yelling while watching the announcement and vowed to “make the government listen”.
They voiced their concern in a packed lecture hall at Lillian Ngoyi House.
Stellenbosch students' reaction after Blade's announcement #FeesMustFall2016 @TheCapeArgus pic.twitter.com/bO4mWwYGh8
— Gadeeja Abbas (@Gadeeja_Abbas) September 19, 2016
International relations student Ashanti Kunene said it was clear that Nzimande had sided with the universities
“You cannot use an economic model to justify why fees must increase. Nzimande and the Minister of Finance, Pravin Gordhan, are pushing a communist idealism that will not allow for free education,” she said.
A mathematics student, who asked not to be named, said that by allowing historically colonised universities to determine a fees hike was “problematic”.
“Student funding should come from the state. We cannot fight our universities and, instead of rallying with students, the government has sided with colonised institutions. The anger is rising, do they not understand that?” he said.
UCT student Ezra Mbinda, 22, said they were working very closely with workers at the university as their fight for free education affected them as well.
“We are mobilising with the workers because we need to make it clear that we do not want a 'no fee' increment, we want free education.”
Expelled student Olwethu Mzayifani, 23, stated that their fight was much broader than a “no fee” increase.
“The university needs to bring back the expelled and suspended students. We want to further our studies and this suspension is not allowing some of us to do so.”
UCT politics lecturer Lwazi Lushaba stood in solidarity with the students, stating that the issue at hand was an existential issue.
Politics lecturer Lwazi Lushaba addressing #UCT mass meeting @IOL #UCTshutdown #Fees2017 pic.twitter.com/MpiJnNpyOx
— Andrew Robertson (@AndrewRobertsn) September 19, 2016
List of demands from UCT students and workers @IOL #Fees2017 #OutSourcing pic.twitter.com/q8tRdKMb6E
— Andrew Robertson (@AndrewRobertsn) September 19, 2016
Student leaders at most universities in KwaZulu-Natal, however, were more circumspect, saying they still needed to closely analyse Nzimande’s speech and work on a response.
Students at UKZN Pietermaritzburg planned a vigil on Monday night. Sphelele Nguse, of the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Pietermaritzburg Student Representative Council (SRC), told East Coast Radio they would march from the Pietermaritzburg campus to the legislature on Tuesday, demanding free education.
And the Mangosuthu University of Technology’s Ronnie Madlala said Nzimande’s recommendations were not legitimate.
What Nzimande said
At a press conference on Monday Nzimande said that while the authority to determine fee adjustments resided with university councils, it was recommended that fee adjustments not go beyond eight percent.
Students qualifying for support from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) and those in the so-called “missing middle” would have no fee increase in 2017.
Nzimande said the government was committed to providing subsidy cover to those with a household income of up to R60 000 a year to cover the gap between the 2015 fee and the adjusted 2017 fee at institutions. This would be done for fee increments up to eight percent.
But those who were able to pay, would have to do so.
“There are many students from upper middle class and well-off families, as well as students on full company bursaries in our institutions who can afford to pay the adjusted 2017 fees, and we expect them to do so.”
WHAT UNIVERSITIES SAY
Universities South Africa, a representative association of all 26 public universities, welcomed the decision and said each university council would consider the recommendation made and act upon it.
Wits University said it would analyse the minister’s recommendations and consult with the relevant key role-players before making recommendations to its council.
The University of Johannesburg said the announcement ensured that around 75 percent of its students would have a zero percent fee increase in 2017.
The University of Cape Town said it would now proceed with its own processes with internal stakeholders, including the Student Representative Council. It said it had long raised funds to support the middle-income students. “This is the first time that the government has allocated funding to this group, thus recognising its responsibility to ensure affordability for this group too.
“This funding will enable universities to consider a fee and bursary regime that avoids increasing the costs of higher education for all students with an annual household income of up to R60 000,” it said.
Unisa said it was considering several national processes to determine a more permanent and affordable solution to the fees issue.
Cape Argus, The Star and The Mercury