Sasco members protesting at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
The Democratic Alliance Students Organisation (Daso) has condemned the South African Students Congress (Sasco) for protesting at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) on Monday morning.
Daso leader Yusuf Cassim, who is also DA Shadow Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, said the ANC-aligned Sasco had closed down NMMU through intimidation and violence and referred to the protest as “political abuse of genuine students’ concerns”.
“This [the protest] has happened in the middle of exams and will hurt students, especially those who are poor. Particularly because no students are involved in this protest, but rather a few members of Sasco and mostly staff. We condemn this violence and call on the ANC to stop this political abuse of genuine students’ concerns,” Cassim said in a statement.
“Daso has raised numerous issues with the university, and last night initiated a peaceful sit-in, to highlight serious funding issues, which lies at the door-step of the national government. We did this precisely because we know how important it is to fight for students’ rights, without undermining their education at the same time.
“Our chief concern is that many students are still not able to fund their studies, despite qualifying. As a result, many students have had their results withheld, and are facing no funding for meals and textbooks.”
Cassim said the Daso-led SRC had tried to raise funds to help students without funding with day-to-day needs, including text books, and had collected more than 1000 text books during the holidays.
“To this end we encourage all students to unite behind the democratically elected SRC who are presently listening to the concerns of students at residences and will lead peaceful protest founded on student-centric issues,” he said.
Sasco had earlier on Monday – “after assessing the political situation on campus” – embarked on a mass protest effectively shutting down the university.
Sasco, in a statement, said the decision was informed by an assessment made regarding issues that affect the general student populace, children of the working class in particular and exploited workers at the university.
Sasco members protesting at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University
This relates to the #FeesMustFall campaign last year, which resulted in the NMMU Council appointing Task Teams in November to address issues arising from that campaign including National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) debt relief, insourcing of service workers and removing the requirement for upfront payment for students falling in the “missing middle” income bracket.
But Sasco, listing about a dozen concerns, has been dissatisfied with the processes so far.
Some of their dissatisfactions include:
• Students being unable to add modules for the second semester due to outstanding funds of the first semester;
• Students’ results being withheld making it difficult for students to know whether they will be continuing with the module in the second semester or not;
• Students who entered the system through debt relief are being evicted by residences; and
• The university saying it is in-sourcing workers but still denying them basic benefits as did by the last employer.
“Our quest for total transformation of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, to make it a true reflection of Madiba’s legacy, has not gone without challenge by the backward white conservative arrangement in the university,” the Sasco statement read.
“We have seen attempts to propel financial and academic exclusions by denying a number of students, book and food allowances, debt relief for the second semester intake, withholding examination results and the eviction of students in residences especially in accredited off-campus residences
“The deliberate delaying of insourcing, in order to demotivate workers, are attempts to weaken even SASCO as a transformation tool.”
Sasco said it was for these reasons they were protesting. The planned to hand over a memorandum to university management on Tuesday (12 July).
“We are aware that some students are supposed to be writing examinations on the 12th and 13th, we will make an arrangement with the university to move these examinations to the end of the week. This will give students ample time to prepare,” Sasco said.
“We urge all students and workers to join the protest and pledge solidarity with those subjected to suffering by this system of injustice. We also urge those who will be participating in the mass action to refrain from violence and intimidation.”
The post Daso: Violence at NMMU will hurt students appeared first on HeraldLIVE.