‘Education a right enshrined in constitution’
CHAOS: A stun grenade thrown by police ricochets on protesters in Johannesburg LUYANDA Nkatu, 26, is a thirdyear LLB student at the University of Zululand.
He enrolled in 2012, but when he wanted to register for his third year in 2014, the university denied him access because he had more than R20 000 in outstanding fees.
Nkatu was one of thousands of students across the country who joined the #FeesMustFall protest this week. They are demanding free quality tertiary education.
“I couldn’t study for two years, because I couldn’t afford the fees,” he said. “I went home, got a job and worked as a call centre agent for a year and a half to save money. I had to, I’m also helping my parents.”
With the help of his grandmother, Nkatu scraped together enough money to pay the outstanding fees and continue his studies this year. But because living in res is costly, he has been living in a mud and brick building, in a room with “a tiny window”.
Nkatu, the second of nine children, said there was a lot of pressure on him to succeed, as he was expected to help with the education of his siblings once he started working.
Simphiwe Boqo, an international relations and media student at the University of the Witwatersrand, said he fell in the category of “missing middle” students whose parents earned just more than R122 000 a year. He has been at the university for five years.
His grandmother, a teacher, is funding his studies as neither of his parents can afford to do so.
“The first time I applied to the National Student Financial Aid Scheme there were issues with the documents. The second time they screened me and said my family earned enough money,” Boqo said.
“My grandmother put me through school, and now she takes care of the finances for my tertiary education as well.”
Boqo said he had been taking part in the #FeesMustFall protests because it was important for all students to have access to higher education.
“I don’t think my family will mind that I protest. My safety is the most important thing to them.”
And although law student Jacqui Smit has been fortunate to go through the first three years of her degree without financial strain, she is “totally behind the cause”.
Smit, 21, is financially supported by her parents while she completes her postgraduate studies at the University of Cape Town.
They pay for her car and the flat she shares in the city.
“I’ve been very lucky — I don’t have to make any real sacrifices,” said Smit.
Last year she took part in the student protests.
“Free education is something we should have because we need to break the cycle of poverty and the right to education is enshrined in the constitution. STIFLED: A woman and man are arrested during this week’s protests over university fees LEND A HAND: Hundreds of students protest over fee increases at parliament, Cape Town, this week. Student groups last year secured a 0% fee increase. However, Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande has given universities the green light to raise fees for the 2017 academic year
“[#FeesMustFall] is a noble cause, [but] what I’m not on board with is the level of violence I’ve heard of and seen. That comes from a lack of leadership and a lot of division.”
#FeesMustFall activists at Wits said on Friday that they would continue to shut down the university this week until their UNITED: Students in Pietermaritzburg kneel in the road to protest against police rubber bullets call for free education had been met. Students and student leaders have been strategising this weekend on how to continue, with #FeesMustFall activist Busisiwe Seabe calling on students at other institutions to stay strong and not tire in their fight for free education.
“We will be closing the uni- #FREE: A Wits student holds up a sign during a march to Cosatu in Johannesburg versity for another week . . . We are in the midst of a revolution,” she said on Friday, after Wits students had marched on Cosatu House to deliver a memorandum calling on the trade union federation to join their struggle.
“Today we come to you, our parents, and we humbly ask you to dust off your struggle boots and to join us on the picket lines, because our collective struggle is not over,” it read.
The students indicated that they wanted to involve other sectors of society as well, including churches and colleges.
Yesterday a group of academics, parents, teachers, students, workers and residents from Wits and the University of Johannesburg met to discuss the funding crisis at universities.
The group said the number of students had doubled since apartheid, but the government had not funded the increase properly.
Fees have increased every year beyond inflation. This is why students have been protesting
“The proportion of black students has increased from 52% to 81% of the student population. This is a very important and a good development for our democracy,” they said in a statement.
“The amount of government funding per student has dropped every year, causing a funding crisis at universities.
“Universities have had to recover their costs by increasing student fees, which have increased every year beyond inflation. This is why students have been protesting about fees.
“The funding crisis is turning our universities from public institutions to private institutions, and excluding those who can’t pay for education.” — Additional reporting by Farren Collins