Students will be the long-term losers in University chaos, while Nzimande once again is nowhere to be found

21 February 2016

The DA is concerned that while our Universities continue to be shaken by a seemingly unending stream of protests, vandalism and arson, Government is hiding behind the old excuse that a Commission of Inquiry is “looking into it”rather than making bold moves to bring calm and restore teaching, learning and research in these vital institutions. 

Universities are crucial to our society and economy. We cannot compromise the future of young South Africans by damaging their chances of a good education – a gateway to employment for them, and a part of creating a growing economy more generally.

In the interest of the future of the students it is imperative for government to act expeditiously in order to bring renewed calm to the volatile situation on campuses. The DA supports peaceful protest action which should not be put at risk by rogue elements.

It is for that reason that Minister Gordhan, as he contemplates his budget, must be reminded that although the funding “fix” which the government offered Higher Education towards the end of last year as the #FeesMustFall protests raged, has relieved the situation for many students, the funding shortfalls in this sector are so huge and so long-standing that the very survival of our Universities is at stake. For it is fundamentally a lack of funding over many years that underlies 90% of these protests.

As the organisation which represented 26 Vice-Chancellors of all our Universities put it to the Parliament last week, Universities are on a “knife-edge” at the moment and the risk of serious long-term damage to them is rising by the day. At the same time the government is pursuing a new Higher Education Bill which clearly opens up the opportunity for populist interference in University management, rendering Universities under attack from all sides.

In January and February alone, major protests around issues such as fees, accommodation and NSFAS inefficiencies have shut down several Universities for days, or even weeks at a time. Millions are being spent every month on private security firms to protect campuses, serious acts of vandalism and arson have been committed, some endangering the lives of students. This all the while dozens of students have been arrested, court orders brought (and subsequently violated in some cases), at least one SRC has been dissolved,  and anti-outsourcing protests have brought several institutions to a halt. 

One Vice-chancellor last week met with Parliament to express his concern about the Higher Education Bill, and returned to his University in the afternoon to find major acts of arson had been committed simultaneously. This is not how a Vice-Chancellor should have to conduct his days. 

Are we so punch-drunk in South Africa today that we are unable to see the long-term damage that this situation will do to our vitally important University sector.  Who would want to become an academic in this world of threat, violence and hatred? Who would want to study in Universities which appear to be so unstable, however committed they might be to a better future? And who would want to fund research in places where arson and vandalism could destroy it?  It is for these reasons that protests must remain peaceful so that the real issues are properly ventilated and solutions reached without any further damage to the Higher Education sector.

The DA calls for Minister Gordhan to give Vice-Chancellors the funding which will enable them to address the multiple crises they face without robbing funding from their own shrinking coffers, from other educational sectors, or from vital University internal budgets for salaries, teaching resources and infrastructure. 

We call on him not to wait for the Commission of Inquiry to complete its work – worryingly, we understand it has not even held its first meeting yet. We are beginning to fear that the Commission will prove to be nothing more than a delaying tactic until after the election. The ANC’s election hopes cannot be prioritised over the needs of so many students who need assistance in their plight to access higher education and a better life for themselves. 

Our Universities cannot be allowed to decay in this way. 

Statement issued by Prof Belinda Bozzoli MP, DA Shadow Minister of Higher Education and Training, 21 February 2016