EFF’S GRANDSTANDING ATTEMPT TO EXPLOIT GENUINE ISSUES OF STUDENTS

21 October 2015

The Office of the ANC Chief Whip rejects the grandstanding antics of the EFF which once again played out inside the National Assembly this afternoon. Typical of its opportunism, the EFF sought to exploit the genuine and legitimate issues of the students demonstrating across the country and outside Parliament against fee increases for its narrow political ends. Earlier today, the protesting students who have assembled in their thousands outside Parliament chased away the EFF’s Floyd Shivambu when he tried to hijack their demonstration for his party’s nefarious political agenda.

The students are not gullible; their glorious and noble struggle for affordable and accessible education cannot be used by opportunistic parties like the EFF as a political tool to undermine Parliament. The outright rejection of Floyd Shivambu today was the clearest message yet from students that they are not inspired by the EFF’s hooliganism and anarchy. For the EFF to believe that they would endear themselves to the protesting students by trying to collapse the sitting of Parliament and prevent the students from hearing the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement was a miscalculation and naïve on its part.

Students can never be fooled by futile attempts by the likes of the EFF and DA to turn genuine student issues into political football. The DA, which today claims to champion interests of the students, the majority of whom are Black and poor, previously stood with the university councils when students like those at Stellenbosch protested exclusionary language policies and lack of transformation. The DA is on the record defending Stellies’ policies that exclude Black students and has accused Minister Blade Nzimande’s intervention as a violation of the university’s autonomy. The ANC has been consistent in its view that universities cannot use their autonomy as a basis for exclusion; resistance to transformation and exorbitant fees.

The ANC in Parliament reaffirms its unwavering support for the students and appeal to the department of higher education and training to leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the objectionable high fees at universities are addressed as soon as possible. We commend the Minister for initiating a process of broad consultation with all stakeholders, including affected students, around agreeable fees.

Statement issued by the Office of the ANC Chief Whip, 21 October 2015