STATEMENT OF THE AFRICAN NATIONAL CONGRESS ON ONGOING STUDENT PROTESTS AGAINST FEE INCREMENTS
22 October 2015
Over the course of the last 7 days, students throughout the country have been engaged in demonstrations calling on Universities not to implement fee increments for the 2016 academic year. This demand is reasonable and understandable in view of the high cost of tertiary education. These costs are prohibitive to both state and privately funded students. The consequence of this is that fewer students will access higher education. This is a function of a hybrid system where the state is expected to fund higher education whilst at the same time universities are autonomous. It is for this reason that we think that the actions by the Vice Chancellor of the University of Witwatersrand must be condemned. Amongst other actions he has taken is to close the SRC account in order to deepen the crisis with the sole intention of depriving students from writing their final exams. He, like all Vice Chancellors, must take responsibility for the decisions they take.
We condemn what appears to be unilateral decision-making by some institutions to raise fees for the next academic year. The ANC affirms its opposition to any exclusionary policies by institutions of higher learning; especially if those who bear the brunt of such marginalization children of the poor and the working class.
It is also disingenuous for university management and some analyst to try to cast aspersion on the ANC led government. No sooner had the government increased the amount apportioned to NFSAS, the university management decided to increase fees. Their project is clearly the intention to exclude the poor.
In this, the 60th year since the adoption of the Freedom Charter, the organization remains committed to broadening access to higher education for all South Africans. To this end, the ANC government has over the last 21 years made significant strides towards the progressive realization of free education.