I know it’s barely being covered by international media because to them the continent of Africa doesn’t exist beyond the odd iconic lion getting shot but the reason I haven’t been online lately is because South Africa is in upheaval. The past week and a half has seen student protests and marches flaring up all over the country.
To understand the position of these students one must understand that one of Apartheid’s legacies is an economy that still by and large protects white interests and as such the poor black majority, already on the economic backfoot as a result of years of Apartheid rule, has never really benefited from the years of growth following the advent of democracy.
The dust from the Nkandla scandal and other miscellaneous reports of theft from the public purse hadn’t even settled when it was announced that funding for higher education would be cut. As it is, higher education is only accessible to those coming from the upper strata of society. Those not backed by their parents’ money are expected to battle it out for limited bursaries, and bank loans are either the route to crippling student debt or completely out of the question as the banks do not grant loans to those students they consider a risk because of the student’s economic background.
The overwhelming response from students was that this was unacceptable. The University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in Gauteng pushed back against the fees hikes and since then thirteen other universities around the country have joined in the movement.
The sad thing is that these peaceful protests are being responded to with unnecessary force from the South African Police Service (SAPS) and derision from the politicians who are supposed to serve us. In the Western Cape, students have been hit with water cannons and stun guns and teargassed. What was meant to be a peaceful protest at Parliament on Wednesday 21st October turned violent when the police used stun grenades and teargas on the students who were sitting outside the gates of Parliament while it was in session. Twenty nine students from the University of Cape Town (UCT), University of the Western Cape (UWC) and the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) were arrested on charges of trespassing and illegal gathering and for six of those students a further charge of high treason was brought against them. The charge of high treason has been denied by SAPS and the National Prosecuting Authority, but the students arrested have shown their charge sheets to journalists; high treason is clearly written beside the charges of trespassing and illegal gathering.
Last night at the University of the Western Cape, peaceful protests again turned violent. The peaceful crowd was hit by water cannons without warning. Rubber bullets and tear gas was used and the water supply has been cut off. Reports from students allege that that no one was allowed to enter or leave the campus. This was then followed by a nightlong sit in in the student centre.
Today there will be a march of ten thousand strong to the Union Buildings, which is government’s seat of power in Pretoria, where the president is supposed to address the concerns of the students and hopefully resolve this matter with an outcome that is acceptable to us. Whether this will yield positive results still remains to be seen as many students are demanding that there be clarity in this process and that these negotiations shouldn’t happen behind closed doors. There is a general air of nervous anticipation surrounding this meeting as there is no telling what the response will be if our demands are not met.
At this moment my university hasn’t postponed exams, but the moment we get word I will be joining the protests and marches in Cape Town.
To follow the story check the #feesmustfall, #nationalshutdown and #unionbuildings tags on twitter. There are many more “subgroups” for the different universities which you will probably come across too.
Some articles from the South African media:
Boost our voices. Let the world know that the students of South Africa are no longer going to accept that our brothers and sisters are being denied an education because of their economic circumstances.
germansingergirl
tangentwithtanner
gummygunk
izzy806
2087
yousharknotpass
