Statement of the ANCYL on the strike by medical students in Cuba

The African National Congress Youth League calls for all stakeholders involved in the impasse of striking students part of South African- Cuban Medical Programme to work together towards resolving the challenges reported. Our country's desire or qualified and competed medical doctors, as part of the dream of building human capital for both individual and collective purpose, cannot be compromised at any cost.

The Cuban people have long been our revolutionary ally and an outstanding producer of medical students across the globe. We trust that the recent strike shall not be miscontrued by Cuba as the machinations of a country that does not appreciate their contribution to the realisation of our aspirations. At all times, young people representing South Africa on the international arena should avoid misunderstanding, misintepreting or even being dismissive of the ideological and social orientation of a host nation.

While some of the grievances put forward by the students have merit and deserve further attention, it is a known fact that Cuba, for more than five decades has been suffering under the economic and political blockade imposed by the United States of America. We owe it to ourselves and all progressive countries of the world to ensure the proper orientation of all students recruited to Cuba, including making history a compulsory learning area particularly the role of Cuba in South Africa's liberation.

The African National Congress Youth League will be sending a delegation to Cuba to meet with the students there to exchange ideas and empower one another on the political orientation and expectations of young people, ensuring that at no point would we allow actions that may expose Cuba to further infiltration by imperialist tendencies.

Notwithstanding the above, there are fundamental issues that the South African government must be held accountable to resolve in the current impasse. Critically, the lack of standardisation and benefits provided to the students by the various provinces in South Africa that sponsor their studies. Students from rich provinces are offered superior support equipment including amongst others laptops, with those from poorer provinces having no access to these resources.

The National Department of Health must urgently issue standards for benefits to be received by all students equally regardless of which province they come from. The decision to appoint a health attache to Cuba must also be speedily implemented, to ensure that the health and wellbeing of the students are well considered and responded to .

The African National Congress Youth League has initiated discussion with the students in Cuba and have impressed upon them the need to withdraw and if raised again reject the possiblity of abandoning their studies and returning to South Africa unqualified, skill-less and defeated. The South African-Cuba Medical Programme is but one of the many programmes that the ANC Youth League would wish to see expanded to accommodate at least 10 000 South African youth in institutions of higher education throughout the world. The students in Cuba are a representation of our aspirations for a better future as youth and as a country and they cannot be allowed to fail.

Statement issued by the ANC Youth League, February 23 2013

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