#OpenOurUniversities: DA launches petition to have campuses re-opened
26 September 2016
The DA has today launched a petition to demand that our universities are re-opened. Those who want to learn should have their constitutional rights respected.
The truth is that a small group of students, bent on destruction and violence, are determined to keep our campuses shut. Their threats and intimidation have forced management to keep Wits, UCT and many others closed this week, in the crucial period leading up to exams.
The burning down of a residence at the University of KwaZulu-Natal's Pietermaritzburg campus is but the latest example of the criminality that has come to hold our campuses ransom. These criminals do not speak for the overwhelming majority of students who want to learn.
We cannot allow this to continue any longer. We urge the vast majority of students, parents, members of civil society, trade unions, professional societies, employers, government officials and concerned South Africans to join our call and make their desire to re-open our campuses heard loud and clear.
To make this happen, University Management, the Department of Higher Education, and the SAPS must work together to ensure that our campuses are safe for students and staff, and ensure that those who want to learn will not be interrupted.
The Constitutional principle of the rule of law must be respected, and those who continue to commit crimes must be brought to book through our criminal justice system.
Individuals who continue to use violence and destruction must be arrested and face prosecution.
The DA shares the anger and frustration which so many young people are feeling around South Africa today, almost all of whom are not involved in the campus shut-downs. With rising unemployment, less opportunities, and completely inadequate funding, many young people are losing hope. This needs to be addressed urgently in the short and long term.
The DA believes that no person should be denied an education simply because they are poor. The most financial support must go to those who cannot afford to pay. We have also argued that financial support should be provided to the “missing middle”. Students who can afford to pay, must pay. The DA will use every mechanism available to us to fight for these proposals.
However, viaolence and intimidation are never the answer and will only undermine the rights of the very students who need assistance. It is time for those who have been silenced to speak out against the criminal capture of what is a legitimate cause and to demand that steps are taken to ensure that our universities are re-opened as soon as possible.
Issued by Belinda Bozzoli, DA Shadow Minister of Higher Education and Training, 26 September 2016
