S. AFRICA-STUDENTS/PROTEST WRAP Tuition fee hike sparks student protests in South Africa

Record ID: 134677

  • Title: S. AFRICA-STUDENTS/PROTEST WRAP Tuition fee hike sparks student protests in South Africa
  • Date: 22nd October 2015
  • Summary: STUDENTS SINGING
  • Embargoed: 6th November 2015 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: South Africa
  • Country: South Africa
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA363T6EJB2XFV0JRDYZ3D4I548
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Fifteen universities across South Africa have been shut down as ongoing student protests against fee increments reach a critical point, with students refusing to back down and accept anything less than freeze on fees.
    An offer was made this week to cap 2016 increases at 6%, but students across the country rejected this offer, according to local reports.
    Universities initially wanted to increase tuition fees by up to 11.5 percent, prompting students to launch their protest campaign on October 13.
    At least 15 of South Africa's universities have seen protests since they broke out at Johannesburg's University of the Witwatersrand, and have been dubbed #FeesMustFall on Twitter.
    Three students were hurt during Wednesday's (October 21) rally in the Eastern Cape as protesters threw stones and burning tyres and police fired rubber bullets and stun grenades.
    It was not clear what caused their injuries. At least 30 students were arrested.
    In Cape Town arrests were made during a protest on Wednesday and students could be seen running from police.
    Some protesters complained that there was a lack of communication between students and the government.
    "Let's talk about not sending police to intimidate us, let's talk about that. Let's talk about Jacob Zuma having said anything about this, let's talk about Blade - don't use political jargon to distract us. Talk to us," said University of Cape Town student, Somila Dondashe, referring to Blade Nzimande, South African's Minister of Higher Education.
    Dondashe later went onto explain that some students couldn't graduate due to the debts they had accumulated.
    Another student from the same university, Mohammed Jameel Abeullah, told reporters that a university education is not attainable for all.
    "And our education, like I said before, is being viewed as a commodity that's only there for those who are privileged enough to attain it, the rest are left on the wayside to either become cleaners, like a lot of people said, we are creating a generation of cleaners and manual labourers, when we should be creating the next leaders of the nation," he said.
    Students demanded that there should be free education. Koketso Poo, a student from the University of Witwatersrand said the government should provide more funding.
    "We don't want fees at all, we want free education, the government must undertake how that free education is going to be funded. If they can lose R30 billion a year ($4.46 billion U.S.), due to the corruption of the ANC, then surely they can fund free education, free and quality education until the attainment of the first degree," he said.
    Political analyst from the University of Johannesburg, David Monyae told Reuters the ANC needs think about the negative impact the protests have had on the party.
    "All political parties have to step in and this is a national crisis and I think all differences have to be put aside to ensure that the country deals with this in a consolidated and unified way and quickly find a solution before this situation gets worse," said Monyae.
    South Africa's President Jacob Zuma said on Thursday he will meet student leaders and university authorities on Friday to discuss planned hikes in tuition fees that have sparked a week of nationwide protests, some of which have turned violent.
    Critics say the increases would further disadvantage black students, who are already under-represented.
    Zuma has not spoken publicly about the protests before, and on Wednesday students stormed the parliament precinct in Cape Town to try to disrupt the reading of Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene's interim budget. He was stony-faced throughout Nene's speech as chaos raged outside.
    On Thursday (October 22) he said in a statement, referring to plans for fees to rise as much as 11.5 percent: "Nobody disagrees with the message that students from poor households are facing financial difficulties and possible exclusion."
    Nene told Reuters on Wednesday that a process to take money from other skills development funds and move them to university education was already under way, but did not elaborate.
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