Can ANC deliver?

IN OCTOBER 2015 students at the University of the Witwatersrand launched the #FeesMustFall movement, which captured the imagination of those attending tertiary institutions throughout the country.

And it set them on a collision with the government.

Nelson Mandela, especially, and numerous other members of the ANC, promised black students, most notably the so-called born-frees, that “education would set them free”.

But it didn’t. Although the percentages of black students attending universities throughout the country shot up dramatically with the advent of democracy in 1994, expectations of a better life for all fell flat for too many.

During #FeesMustFall protests, heart-rending accounts of the struggles of poverty-stricken students filled many people with a sense of horror. A wide range of sources called on the government to come to the aid of struggling students.

In January 2016, South African President Jacob Zuma appointed Judge Jonathan Heher to head a commission of inquiry into the viability of free university education.

Last month, when Zuma released the report, few people were surprised at its main finding – that free education was not viable. But they were shocked at Zuma’s response to the report.

Last month, he announced that Treasury was looking at ways to fund free tertiary education for the poor.

Then on Saturday, at the ANC’s elective conference at Nasrec, south of Johannesburg, he took the matter a step further. He announced that free education would be phased in over five years, starting in 2018.

Zuma did not say where the money – an estimated R12.5 billion for the first year alone – would be found. But he promised that a still-to-be-announced plan would be “fiscally sustainable”.

In a response, the Treasury issued a statement saying it would consider the plan and review financing options for it. “Any amendments to existing spending and tax proposals will be announced at the time of the 2018 budget‚” it said.

We believe that while money must be found to fund poor students, we – and millions of South Africans – will be extremely upset if promises are made that cannot be kept.

Broken promises have seriously damaged the relationship between the poor of this country and the government. Those who attend tertiary institutions are the future of our country. And so we appeal to the incoming ANC administration: don’t let down our young people.