Johannesburg - ANC stalwart Andrew Mlangeni has opposed the call for university fees to be scrapped.
“They are right to ask for no increase, but not for fees to fall,” said the 90-year-old ANC veteran during his 5th Annual Andrew Mlangeni Golf Day at the Wanderers Golf Club on Wednesday.
Mlangeni said very few countries offer free tertiary education.
“For them to say they want free education at that level is unrealistic. I don’t know of any country where university students don’t pay anything for their education – except for socialist countries and welfare states such as Denmark.”
The struggle hero shared his opinion towards the ‘fees must fall’ campaign just before he teed off with other ANC veterans at the event hosted by Minister of Sport and Recreation, Fikile Mbalula.
The golf day honours sports men and women who were not given recognition during the apartheid era.
Mlangeni said children who can’t afford to pay school fees at lower levels are being given free education – but it cannot be expected at university level.
“I also paid a lot of money at university. I did not pay when I was in primary (school), I also did not pay a lot in my secondary at St Peter’s, where OR Tambo was my teacher. We paid very little.”
The anti-apartheid activist and father of 10 says he did not join the protests like his fellow prison mate Ahmed Kathrada – but said he followed everything on TV and was not impressed with the violent demonstrations he saw.
“When we liberated the country in 1994 we gave everybody the right to protest. I was not impressed by the violence. Protests must be peaceful. Once they become violent they are forcing the government to exert force,” he said.
At the gala dinner held at the end of the golf day, Mlangeni was not shy during his speech to mention his favourite cabinet ministers. “There are two I have a lot of respect for in the cabinet – the ministers of sport and health. But let me sit down before I say too much,” he quipped.
The Sunday Independent
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