ANC gives middle finger to poor students - 26 times

25 November 2015

Today, the African National Congress (ANC) effectively gave the middle finger to poor students by voting against twenty-six proposed amendments to the adjusted budget, which would have made available R904 million to fund the shortfall resulting from the zero-percent student fees increase, in the 2015/16 Financial Year.

The ANC voted twenty-six times against making more money available for poor students. The ANC instead , for example, voted for: 

- R 720 million for foreign missions;

- R 69.7 million for VIP protection and security services;

- R 1.25 million for ministerial vehicles for the Health Minister; and

- R 540 000 for the purchase of bulls for reproductive purposes.

When it comes to a choice between more money for students or more money for ministers, the ANC chose more money for ministers.

The shortfall in student fees should have been funded by cutting wasteful expenditure rather than cutting expenditure on inter alia Historically Disadvantaged Institutions.

Issued by David Maynier, DA Shadow Minister of Finance, 25 Novemeber 2015