#FeesMustFall disproving the myth that our generation is not apathetic and disinterested in politics of the day

The actions undertaken by university students and workers in the last few days have shaken the walls of power and brought to the fore one of the most pressing issues South Africa has ever faced: Free, quality, public university education. 

The YCLSA has openly supported these actions as they take forward one of our most fundamental campaigns to pressure the state and universities to ensure that there is access for education in all our institutions. 

The protests have also exposed and disproved some of the myths about our generation of youth as being apathetic and disinterested in the politics of the day. 

In a short space of time students occupied the spaces which they are in and sent a collective, united national message that the #FeesMustFall. This follows a huge campaign targeted at Stellenbosch hashtagged #Luister and last years` #RhodesMustFall. It is our view that all these campaigns are linked, and deals with transformation and democratization of universities so that they truly become public institutions for all who live in this country and not solely for those who can afford. 

But what are the underlying issues behind the recent protests and how do we suggest they are dealt with.

Firstly, the rate at which universities have used their autonomy to raise fees at a ridiculous level have brought us to where we are. Fees in historically white universities have been used to exclude black students rather than to improve the quality of education in those institutions. Black working class students have been pushed to under-resourced universities such as Walter Sisulu or Venda, whilst those who went to Wits or Johannesburg remained indebted after completion of theior studies or financially excluded and could not complete. It is about time that that government regulates the fees at universities and channel more resources to historically black universities to deal with issues of equity.

Secondly, the private sector has disinvested from funding what they deem as `black institutions` and have their moved the funding to their preferences, which are predominantly `white` institutions. This has deprived `black universities` of the funding they need to catch up with `English` and `Afrikaner` universities therefore pushed them to rely on government and students fees as the source of funds.

Thirdly, our universities have been short on knowledge production and tall on churning out undergraduates whose intention is to join the labour market. This has led to them spending a fortune on `buying` knowledge from Europe and the US. Although funding to universities is structured to favour knowledge production, it is mostly `white` privileged universities that have been benefitting from these funds. Higher Education and Training needs to ensure that they put this as a stringent target for universities in exchange of their funding, and that technically skilled individuals should be directed to FET`s and Universities of Technology. 

The ANC, this being my fourth point, should not have cut funding for university education in 1996 guided by its macro-economic policy, GEAR. Government policy should now be geared towards higher expenditure of GDP on university education, with the `progressive` introduction of free education for poor students. University funding should also comprise of incentives that will reward universities that produces more graduates and post-graduates.

The role of the university management in this period has also been appalling, arrogant and constituted a shifting of blame from their responsibilities to those of government. The reality is that there are more pressing transformative issues facing our universities, and the challenge is for the movement for change that has already been informally formed to take these issues further so that they are not adhoc.

The YCLSA fully endorses the call by Higher Education for a graduate tax and the process that is underway to reform the National Students Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). However, we strongly believe that we can achieve higher education as is done in countries such as Germany, Mexico, Sweden and Brazil if we increase taxes so as we expand the national fiscus. The crises of unemployment, poverty and inequality will continue to exacerbate if the wealth of the country is still based in a mere one percent of the population. The ANC NGC resolution on a wealth tax is but a move towards this direction if we are to succeed.

To try and personalize the struggle as being about Blade Nzimande, the Minister of Higher Education, so that we score cheap political points as was the case by Collen Maine of the ANCYL is petty and will only further divide the youth movement and the #FeesMustFall campaign. It is time for the PYA to take leadership and engage students at their level, as preoccupation with succession battle will further isolate us from student struggle and can only serve us to be embedded with our masters in the `premier league`.

That they have peacefully marched on Luthuli House and to the Union buildings is evident of the trust that they have on the ANC leadership and government to ultimately ensure that education is free. This was also clear of their dismissal of both Mmusi Maimane of the DA and Floyd Shivambu of the EFF, and the rantings of his Commander in Thief on twitter about the student actions being hijacked. The ANC should clearly use this opportunity to reflect on this and many other issues that have been a cause for disaffection amongst young people and begin to look at things from their perspective.

As the YCLSA we have drawn serious organizational lessons from these protests. We will be going back to the drawing board to look at the issues we have focused on in the past and the strategies of organization we have implemented so as to strengthen our presence amongst students and young workers as the drivers for socialism and change. 

What has now become apparent is that the war for a total break with the apartheid past in underway, and we are in it to win as the current generation. The doors of learning and teaching shall be opened, with or without our tears and blood.

Issued by Joyce Tsipa, YCLSA Deputy National Chairperson, 28 October 2015