Daily Dispatch

Violence not clever answer

THE university fee protests have been nothing short of fierce over the last two years, but add violence to the mix and it is bound to result in a blow-up.

The #FeesMustFall clashes on campuses across the country are still fresh in the memories of many South Africans and while it has been relatively peaceful as universities resumed the new academic year, there have already been rumblings of discontent at the Durban University of Technology and one Walter Sisulu University (WSU) campus.

DUT have suspended lectures while it attempts to resolve accommodation challenges.

In Mthatha, students at WSU’s Nelson Mandela Drive campus resorted to unruly conduct over a fees dispute and the registration of students without the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) bursary confirmation.

A majority of the institution’s more than 28 000 students depend on the scheme for financial assistance. In a fit of rage, students allegedly set fire to a recreational facility. They also stand accused of preventing the fire department from extinguishing the blaze. The campus has since been evacuated.

Registration was disrupted at five WSU campuses a week ago but this week university management and student leadership agreed registration would resume.

But instead students at the Nelson Mandela Drive campus in Mthatha went on the rampage. It is unacceptable that institution buildings are destroyed through wanton behaviour. No one can condone such acts.

Education is important as it hands the necessary tools to students who can compete for jobs or take up leadership roles in all spheres of life.

Our constitution states clearly why education is such a key pillar in the foundation of building a great country.

There is a clear understanding by all stakeholders that everything possible be done to upskill our children so they can play a role in the strengthening of this 23-year-old democracy.

The latest statistics show that 48.6% of our youth have no meaningful jobs. It is a big concern and one the government and education heads are grappling with. At the end of 2015, out of a sense of desperation, the concept of #FeesMustFall was born. Expectations were high and when the government dug in their heels, frustration boiled over with scenes of violence on the country’s campuses our daily diet. Protests again flared up last year as thousands of students at university campuses across the country reignited the defiance campaign.

Last year, damage due to student protests since 2015 was estimated to be R600-million.

This country, already in a fiscus bind, cannot afford such waste of resources.

The students at WSU’s Mthatha campus should perhaps take a leaf from the stance of their peers at the WSU Buffalo City campus. The student representative council president Luyanda Mgomba said they would maintain a non-violent engagement with the management.

Mgomba made the point that: “We are not going to engage in any violence until the [fees] matter is resolved”. Point taken.

Every effort must be made to resolve this matter by all the stakeholders in a calm rational manner. Violence is never the answer.