Students urged to return

THE SOUTH African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) says university students have made their point, but now they need to return to their classes.

As student protests continued across the country, with the completion of the academic year hanging by a thread, Sadtu has stepped in with a call to students to complete their studies.

This week, protesters disrupted academic activities at UCT, while the University of the Western Cape and the Cape Peninsula University of Technology suspended their operations for the week.

Sadtu Western Cape deputy general secretary Nkosana Dolopi, said students had placed their cause in the public sphere.

“We are saying theirs is a noble cause, but that they have a responsibility to themselves, their communities, the country and especially their parents. They must continue their studies and complete their education because they are needed in many sectors of society,” he said.

He added that negotiations should be completed around a table and not on the streets.

“We understand this is about class as much as education history, and we will hold them in esteem as we did the class of 1976.

“However, their own families must be lifted out of poverty as these students are the future breadwinners,” said Dolopi.

While their call for free education had reached the government and the private sector, Dolopi warned students to be wary of people trying to usurp their cause for their own ends. –