By: Kenneth Mokgatlhe
Johannesburg - It is worth celebrating the fact that the leadership at Wits, led by its SRC president Cebolenkosi Khumalo, has changed its approach of fighting academic/financial exclusion this year by not applying a confrontational method that would likely cause property damage or loss of lives.
Khumalo was able, through walking from Wits’s Great Hall to Pretoria’s Union Building, to raise about R12 million which is said will benefit more than 2 000 students unable to settle their outstanding fees and unable to pay their registration fees for the 2022 academic year.
According to the National Advisory Council on Innovation’s Dr Mlungisi Cele about 25% of South African students leave higher education (HE) institutions annually because they are excluded on financial grounds.
“To resist such putouts, student boycotts and protests are common, despite the fact that student organisations were incorporated into decision-making processes at higher education institutions in 1997,” Dr Cele said.
Khumalo took this peaceful approach as a way of paying tribute to Mthokozisi Ntumba who was shot during a student protest. Four police officers are facing a murder charge in this regard.
In previous years, students have embarked on violent protests and boycotts throughout all South African higher education institutions. Student leaders were often victimised for mobilising and organising such protests.
Many brave student leaders sacrificed their bright, promising careers to ensure that many poorer students were allowed to register and further their studies while having outstanding fees.
I am one of those students who could not further their studies because I owed the university so much money. My family couldn’t afford to pay so I had to go to Gauteng and look for a job that just wasn’t there. This is a painful reality for many students across the country.
Politicians who appear unable to control themselves from stealing public resources should have mercy and donate/pledge money towards helping deserving students who are on the verge of deregistering or dropping out of their studies.
It was the PAC’s Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe who said that education to us means service to Africa. The only way in which Africa can end poverty, silence the gun, and run the productive and growing economy is to have educated citizenship.
We often complain about unemployment while we do not mention the aspect of employability, that is having the necessary skills to perform payable duties. We do not have enough people who have the necessary skills to be absorbed by the economy either because of a lack of skills or having irrelevant skills which are not in demand.
It is therefore important to invest in education in order to address all the challenges we have today. No education will result in hunger, unrest, and conflict in Africa in years to come.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), Investec, and all those who have contributed towards the #PavingTheNext100 campaign should be hailed as forces of progress and agents of change. We should all fight to have brighter citizenship in the future than we already have
Khumalo and his peers emulated Steve Biko’s philosophy of delivering programmes, projects, and activism where people in need are residing. Instead of complaining about apartheid, Biko and his peers started progressive activities such as farming, education, and health projects in their respective communities. Those who were doing medicine or health studies knew that they had to help patients in their communities. So Khumalo, too, has taken action to save many black people’s careers.
We have many people, both black and white, who are rich and could contribute to helping poor students but do not. Till now, it is clear that the ANC hasn’t been able to implement free, quality education even after a call by the entire country in the #FeesMustFall campaign.
SRCs around the country should emulate Khumalo and the entire leadership of Wits SRC by not burning their properties. Student leaders should come up with creative ways of resolving student challenges. However, this shouldn’t replace the role and responsibilities of the government to help its young generation to be as educated as possible.
*Mokgatlhe is an independent writer
The Star