Cape Town - Cosatu says it considering strike action against universities, and will also rope in public servants in solidarity with protesting students demanding that #FeesMustFall.
On Wednesday students across South African marched once again, to protest fee increases, despite a deal struck on Tuesday which would see fees capped to the rate of inflation.
Cosatu’s Western Cape chairman Motlatsi Tsubane the labour union confederation was taken a symbolic stance against high cost of tertiary education in South Africa.
“We are fully in support of students, and we are condemning the manner in which the police are reacting to what they (students) are demanding,” said Tsubane.
He accused the police, in their responses to protesters, as being provocative.
“It is high time that government must consider the demands of the students. Government must come up with ways of dealing with what is currently happening in our country,” said Tsubane.
He said Cosatu was encouraged by President Jacob Zuma’s planned meeting with university principals and student leaders on Friday.
Despite government, university students and management being in dialogue over the issue of fees, Tsubane said Cosatu was still contemplating a strike against all universities in the province.
While the ANC at its last conference in Mangaung had resolved that it would resolve a policy on free education until undergraduate level, Tsubane said this was not economically feasible.
“We should also understand that the situation that we are in, as a country, we should understand where we come from and where we are now. We all know that the economy of the country is still in the hand of big businesses which do not want to come to the party in assisting government around whatever plans government has,” said Tsubane.
@mtyala
IOL
* E-mail your opinion to [email protected] and we will consider it for publication or use our Facebook and Twitter pages to comment on our stories. See links below.