SADTU welcomes the announcement on higher education fees for 2017

19 September 2016

The South African Democratic Teachers Union welcomes the announcement by the Minister of Higher Education on higher education fees for 2017.

We welcome the fact that despite the difficult economic circumstances that we find ourselves under, the poor and those categorized as the "missing middle" which includes teachers, will not bear the brunt of fee increments for the 2017 academic year.

However, our principled position that ultimately we must realize free higher education for the children of the working class remains. We thus see the announcement by the Minister as a step in the correct direction. We insist that moving forward; the private sector must provide the resources for free higher education as this is the sector that benefits the most from our university output.

There are companies that fund certain privileged upmarket schools within the basic education sector with enormous amounts of money every year; we are calling upon them to apply the same levels of enthusiasm towards funding higher education.

We support the call for a "wealth tax" to fund higher education and are further calling on the ANC government to start preparing legislative framework that will make it possible for business to be compelled to play its role in this regard.

We call on all students and all formations to desist from the destruction of university infrastructure; this is tantamount to cutting your nose to spite your face. It is wrong, unacceptable, barbaric and regressive in the worst form.

We support students’ mass action but abhor any form of destruction.

Those, like the thugs in Vuwani, are borrowing from the future of our children what they will never be able to pay back. This is unforgivable. .

SADTU says yes to any form of demonstrations. SADTU says no to the destruction of schools and universities.

Statement issued by SADTU, 19 September 2016