Make the vandals pay up

It is hard to believe that the damage associated with the Fees Must Fall student movement is in the region of R800m. Now the government must forgo productive investments in favour of using taxpayers’ money to repair libraries, laboratories and lecture halls that were thoughtlessly destroyed during the protests.

Some of these assets were social investment contributions from business and international donors. People cannot destroy property willy-nilly without being held responsible for consequences.

The vandalism cannot be allowed to continue. The situation calls for the broader student movement and progressive youth formations to reflect about curbing protracted and violent protests in tertiary institutions. What kind of demonstration descends into the destruction of essential goods? This is also rife in our communities, where schools are burnt down by protesters demanding delivery of basic services.

The 1976 student protest was at the height of apartheid, yet no school or library was destroyed. What is the excuse of the present generation? Is it a case of anarchy running in their veins? It is time to isolate those who destroy public property so they face the full might of the law. We must not allow hooligans to reverse our democratic gains.

Morgan Phaahla Ekurhuleni