#FeesMustFall: SA Student Protests/The Week in Pics

Where it all began.

The Witwaterstrand University (WITS) proposed a 10 percent hike to its school fees, outrage sparked amongst WITS attendees and protests began which rippled to a shutdown of at least 15 universities in South Africa including the University of Cape Town (UCT) and the University of Johannesburg (UJ).

See, the thing is, WITS, or any university actually, particularly UCT, is known as a University that can only be afforded by middle to upper class households, the majority of these households are occupied by White people. The fee increment further exacerbates the academic exclusion of poor and working class students. Tertiary education must stop being treated as a privilege, as a “if you can’t afford it, go to an FET college”. It’s for everyone. It’s a right. The exclusion of poor and working class students on the basis of finances may be unconstitutional.

What we, the students, want:

We the students rally behind a revolutionary banner demanding #FreeEducation #FeesMustFall, and we therefore demand: 1. That Minister Blade Nzimande release the 2012 'No Fees Varsity report' for public consumption 2. That the Minister announces and clearly commits that there will be no fee increment for the year 2016 3. That the Minister announce a fee reduction percentage for the year 2016 for institutions of higher learning and training. 4. That the Minister makes a concrete commitment to propose the legislation of, free education in higher education and learning at the next National Assembly sitting. 5. That the Minister show that he has or plans to immediately end the outsourcing of workers at institutions of higher learning and training, as part of a 3 year plan at gradually phasing out outsourcing. 6. That the Minister announce and agrees that Financial Aid (NSFAS) be extended to agricultural colleges. 7. That the Minister publicly declare that staff and students that elect to exercise their constitutional right to protest should not be subjected to any disciplinary action. 8. That the current payment structure for international students be altered, to one which provides that African nationals are to pay as local South African nationals do. This includes the removal of international levies for African nationals. 9. That students with outstanding fees are not prevented by any institution from writing exams. 10. That all Vice-Chancellors, members at Council and management are strongly held accountable for disingenuous action against students.

“If the ANC does to you what the apartheid government did to you, then you must do to the ANC what you did to the apartheid government.” –Nelson Mandela.

From the VC's desk UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN Dear colleagues and students, 22 October 2015

The situation at UCT and on all the country's campuses is critical and without precedent. It calls for unprecedented action. The objective must he to ensure access to higher education. The short-term actions we will be taking towards this end are as follows: 1. We will be meeting the president and his ministers in Pretoria tomorrow and will demand decisive state intervention to ensure that students in need do not face a fee increase in 2016; 2. I have postponed the set of university examinations that was due to start on 27 October 2015. As such, there will be no exams next week. We will set a new date for exams in consultation with staff and students. 3. The University Council will meet this weekend after the meeting with the president and his ministers, and I will put to it proposals aimed at ensuring that

o Students in need do not face a fee increase in 2016; o UCTs comprehensive financial aid package for students in need remains in place.

4. I have decided that the university will remain closed tomorrow and will hold an open forum for members of the university in the morning. 5. I appeal for the state to act with restraint. I subscribe fully to the statement of the President of Convocation, Dr Bamey Pityana, who made the point this morning that there can be no justification for the excessive use of force of the kind that was witnessed on television on 21 October 2015. As he put it: this brought shame to every South African.

Dr Max Price Vice-chancellor

The week in pictures

Union Buildings, Pretoria. President Jacob Zuma addresses students and announces that there will be a zero percent increase on tuition fees for the 2016 academic year.