Zuma orders clampdown on violent protests

PRESIDENT Jacob Zuma has ordered the police and other law-enforcement agencies to clamp down on violent protests at universities, warning that government will not tolerate the destruction of property.

Minister in the Presidency, Jeff Radebe, told journalists yesterday that Zuma was meeting with his ministers in the Security Cluster to deal with the violent protests at universities.

Radebe said the destruction of libraries, residences and lecture halls would not serve any purpose.

Security ministers would take decisive action against violent protests, but within the confines of the laws of the land and the constitution.

Radebe said Cabinet called on students and student leaders to respect the laws of the country and not destroy property.

He said the death of a worker at Wits University was as a result of the violent protests and destruction going on at universities.

The warning from Zuma came as a lecture hall at the University of Johannesburg was burnt down yesterday.

This added to the growing multimillion-rand bill to fix damaged infrastructure at universities.

“President Jacob Zuma has instructed the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security cluster to deal with the mayhem that is destroying our institutions of higher learning,” said Radebe.

He added that the government had provided extra funding for needy students at institutions of higher learning.

This was confirmation that government was investing in education.

Radebe said it was intolerable to see wanton destruction of property at universities, but added that the police and other security officials would act within the parameters of the law in dealing with the protests.

It was unacceptable that protesting students were denying other students a right to study, he said.

Radebe said students and student leaders must raise their concerns within the constitutional framework and not destroy university property.

Turmoil

Universities have been in turmoil over the last three weeks since an announcement was made on the proposed increases for next year.

The eight percent increase, said Radebe, was for those who could afford it.

He added that higher education remained the apex priority of government.

The portfolio committee on higher education in Parliament also came out against the violent protests and destruction of property.

Chairperson of the committee, Connie September, called for an end to the violence, saying dialogue by all parties would end the strife.

She said the South African economy needed graduates in order to perform.

This was the point underlined by Radebe – that if universities were stopped from fulfilling their function the country would not be able to produce graduates.