EFF STATEMENT ON THE FEES MUST FALL MOVEMENT
The EFF expresses its solidarity with all students across South African universities in their fight against fee increments. The students from across all political backgrounds have united under one mission to demand that #FEESMUSTFALL. This demand is long overdue particularly in a country with a history of apartheid and colonial education. The triumph over apartheid and colonisation is futile without the guaranteed access to quality education. In fact, any human freedom is not sustainable today without quality education.
The ANC government is the number one stumbling block in the attainment of a fee free university. It has only satisfied itself with the provision of the loan scheme, NFSAS which is always never enough, instead of conceiving a radical transformation of the higher education fee structure. Alongside the ANC, is the greedy, exploitative and unpatriotic white monopoly capital which is only happy to extract our mineral resources without equally contributing to the education of our people.
These two enemies of the people collided in Marikana and massacred 34 black mineworkers who were asking for a minimum wage of R12,500. The workers' demands was so as to build their own lives and take their children to school, but the ANC government killed them for asking for more money to take their children to school.
The Minister of Higher Education, Blade Nzimande is also nowhere to be found as our campuses have shut down with students fighting for access to the university. He is held up in luxurious hotel meetings drinking expensive wine, whilst the black child suffers with their future hanging on the string due to expensive university fees. All Nzimande knows is political gossip and ideological buzzwords used to fight ANC internal factions.
The EFF also places blame on top university managers who have done nothing to agitate for free quality education. They have protected and promoted the commodification of universities because it benefits their huge salaries and bonuses. No Vice Chancellor has produced any opinion piece or joined any picket lines to march for a fee free university.
Finally, we demand that Nhlanhla Nene comes up with a comprehensive strategy during the Medium Term Budget Statement on Wednesday, 21 October 2015, as to how government is going to address the crisis of university frees.
The EFF further congratulates all its Student Command branches that have been at the centre of the students protests ensuring that students' voices are truly heard. All university frees must fall.
Issued by EFF National Spokesperson Mbuyiseni Quintin Ndlozi, 19 October 2015
