Fees are not the only issue in protests

ADAM Habib and Ahmed Bawa in “Survival of universities requires realism on fees” (July 17) misunderstand our position and suffer from a lethargic conceptualisation of the nature of the claims about the “intellectual and political struggle for the soul of South Africa’s future”.

The student and associated struggles, which intensified last year after sporadic outbursts over several years, were not merely about the question of “fee-free education for all”. These struggles symbolised a more fundamental issue about the nature of the democratic society aspired to by the majority of South Africans.

We argue that universities have both a role and an obligation to facilitate, engender and provide the intellectual platforms for this aspiration. Fee-free education for all is but one aspect of this issue concerning the financial resources available to the state for higher education.

We also point to the precariousness of the present sources of funding available to students, the indispensability of the process of knowledge production and dissemination to societies, the importance of the qualitative attributes of what is taught and learnt and the importance of dealing with the developing culture of individualism, corporatisation and managerialism that has become pervasive in the higher education system globally.

In our view, educational systems should not be held to ransom and compromised by the priorities set by ideologues who seek to limit social expenditure for the public good.

Taxing the super-rich — a mechanism widely suggested even by mainstream thinkers like Thomas Piketty (and more recently by Bernie Sanders) — is but one aspect of the strategy to bring public education back into the realm of the public good. — Dr Mondli Hlatshwayo (University of Johannesburg), Professor Rasigan Maharajh (Tshwane University of Technology), Zolisa Marawu (Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University), Enver Motala (University of Fort Hare), Leigh-Ann Naidoo (University of the Witwatersrand) and Professor Salim Vally (University of Johannesburg)

Don’t leave out Hillary

“PRESIDENTS Trump and Putin: now there’s a scary thought” (July 31) refers. Barney Mthombothi is afraid of what Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin would get up to should the blowhard bouffant win the US elections. Apparently Europe should be in a state of terror at the prospect of the aggression from the evil one from the Urals. Russia’s record of aggression pales into insignificance when measured against that of the US. So it is not necessary to mention the consequence should Hillary Clinton come to power. This is a charmless sociopath who has never found a conflict, invasion, regime change or intervention that she did not like and support. I wonder if Barney was concerned to read in the news that getting rid of the Assad regime topped her agenda. — B van der Vijver, by e-mail

Forgotten mine victims

“‘I CAN’T tell my kids where Mom is’ ” (July 31) refers. This government spends millions on Nkandla but fails to rescue the body of three miners at Lily Mine. It sounds cruel and greedy. The life of a black person is not important at all in this country under the ANC. The minister tells us he is busy with campaigning. What about the life of those people? — Ronald Tshinyani, by e-mail

Kick Myeni off the plane

“MYENI’S push for BEE slice could cost SAA billions” (July 31) refers.

It is shocking to see how Dudu Myeni is milking the national carrier in a storm of financial exploitation. Fire this despot who is bent on enriching herself and her cronies. Bail out this state-owned enterprise before it crash-lands. — Fazel, by e-mail

Beloved professor

THANK you to Chris Barron for his obituary “Rodney Davenport: Used history to ‘safeguard against con men in public life’ ” (July 24). However, it did not mention Davenport’s marvellous wit and understated sense of humour which endeared him to the many students under his tutelage.

As an undergraduate at Rhodes, I was always the last to arrive for his tutorials, battling on a tiny scooter. One morning, I arrived early and was waiting when he walked in. He paused briefly, before remarking: “Ah, I see the wind was behind you this morning . . .” Prof, you are missed. — Carol McPherson, Pinelands

Speed bumps for many of us

TWO thumbs up to Tony Ball of Durban regarding “Gugs not first on the grid” (Letters to the Editor, July 31) about the success of Gugu Zulu and Nkosinathi Nzimande’s struggles in motorsport. If you are not anointed by the ANC and/or approved by white capital (presumably DA backers), you are not going anywhere fast in South Africa. RIP nevertheless, Gugs. — Luyanda Marlon Kama, Port Elizabeth

Snubbing their own

ADITI Lalbahadur, in So Many Questions (July 24), you defend South Africa’s human rights stance. Please explain the stance on the violation of the rights of the descendants of the Khoekhoena (Khoi and San) to selfdetermination — South Africa voted on recognising indigenous rights but failed miserably by refusing to sign Convention 169 of the International Labour Organisation on the rights of indigenous people. That demonstrates its inability to implement its own people’s rights. — !Nauseb Swartz, by e-mail

Numbers gang

I WAS disappointed not to see a few lines telling us how many ministers, deputies, presidents, wives, husbands, secretaries, managers, coaches, sports doctors, physios, chiropractors, masseurs, timekeepers, referees, linesmen, officials are joining the 137 athletes going to Rio. — Robert d’Avice, by e-mail