POST NWC STATEMENT: SOUTH AFRICAN STATE OF HIGHER EDUCATION – A STATE OF EMERGENCY

The South African Students Congress (SASCO) embarked on National visit across provinces from the 7th – 11th July, to assess the state of compliance with the national regulations as set out by the government in line with the State of National Disaster as declared by the President. The intention of the visit was to ensure that as students and workers return to campuses there’s a provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE’s), establishment of Sanitizing and Screening Stations, the building of field quarantine sites for infected students and workers on campus.

The inefficiencies of the quarantine sites and PPE in this regard could be directly linked to the ongoing rampant corruption happening across the board in governance. The illicit movement of money and overpricing of PPE inclusive to awarding tenders to companies that don’t operate in this scope is a cause of concern, the corruption has hit the most vulnerable in society and this is inclusive of students in various institutions of higher learning. The corruption needs to be nipped in the bud and rooted out with pure aggression. The people deserve better governance and better services from the government they elected.

On the 22nd of July, we convened a National Working Committee (NWC) meeting to reflect on the reports from the visits and to further reflect on the state of Higher Education in South Africa both the TVET and University sector. This exercise was a necessary step to continue guiding the sector as we navigate through these times on uncertainties with lots of promises and non-delivery to us students who unfortunately find ourselves more frustrated by this imposed remote learning activities. The NWC found it necessary to reflect on the delay of the delivery of Laptops, Data, Higher Education Corruption, State of NSFAS, the state of Historically Disadvantaged Institutions and TVETS.

The NWC passed it sincere condolences to all the families which have lost their loved one’s as a result of COVID-19 and wished strength and speedy recovery to all those in quarantine. We appreciate the frontline workers who are at the centre of waging the fight against this novel virus.

We remain true and committed to our resolution of positioning TVET colleges as institutions of choice especially in a country where artisans are a need. The NWC reaffirmed the call for the capacitation and empowerment of the scope of College Councils to run efficient and effective institutions which must service the frustrated masses of students. On our visits, both in March and now we have found dilapidated Student residences and classes where college students’ residence, we have found students locked out of their residences due to non-payment of their allowances on time. TVET’s are the most non-compliant sector when it comes to the set regulations a case in point is West College where you can access the campus without any screening, Mfolozi College residences where there’s overcrowding, Ikhala College where students are on strike due to non-payment of their allowances.

We can go on and on mentioning colleges one by one and giving their issues but we have noted that this sector has systematic problems which are as a result of negligence and greed by the Director-General who wants to continue micromanaging the colleges by operating as a functionary of the colleges instead of the department, the DG Mr Gwebs Qonde and DDG – Miss Aruna Singh have failed the students of TVETs and have failed on their mandate to have efficient and effective management systems in place to ensure that Colleges do not wait on them in order to run their day to day activities, the rampant corruption and collapse of our colleges is as a result of the snail pace of implementation of our proposals on what must be done in other for the colleges to run effectively without direct political interest by officials of DHET.

Our call for the firing of the Director-General and Deputy Director-General – TVET Colleges are informed amongst many reasons by:

1. Lack of adequate Infrastructure,

2. Non-delivery of PPE’s,

3. Failure to transform the TVET Sector

4. Poor teaching and learning in these institutions

5. Rampant corruption in the sector

Qonde has shown complete incompetence by failing to transform the sector to the heights it should reach, the sector is to be spearheaded by a visionary that has a perspective of that the economy dictates. His lack of vision has without a doubt displayed the inability to create individuals that should serve all sectors of the economy, centralizing the sector in and around him has without a doubt crippled its operations.

1. Immediate payment of allowances for all students,

2. Increment of Residence allowances,

3. Immediate establishment of Quarantine on-campus sites,

4. Provision of PPEs for both students and workers,

5. A skills audit of all Lecturers and College Managers,

6. Increase of Student Support Staff and Adequate Academic support,

7. Dismissal of the Acting DDG responsible for TVETs and the Director-General

We give the President and the minister seven (7) working days, a failure which will see us closing all colleges within the Republic of South Africa. We are tired of the lip service and rhetoric when it comes to the transformation of our colleges because we cannot stress it enough that this is the future of this country’s skills needed by the economy.

As an organisation we have since raised the need to closely coordinate the universities from since the lockdown was imposed, we have always been of the firm view that the inequalities in this sector would manifest themselves harshly. We warned that failure to adopt a single academic calendar would exacerbate existing inequalities in the sector. We argued that the historic challenges of our universities have not been resolved and to leave university managers to abuse institutional autonomy would plunge the sector into further crisis.

Today we have universities like WSU, UFH and UNIZULU who are left behind while the historically white and advantaged institutions complete the academic year with fewer complications. The majority of students in these disadvantaged universities are from poor and working-class backgrounds, and therefore we view these developments as developments that seek to maintain the status quo.

The NWC took stock of the organisational matters as it is charged with that responsibilities and shall communicate with the structures concerned, but have noted a series of public spats and unfortunate exchanges of statements in some provinces the NWC expressed itself in line with the code of conduct and the supreme document and therefore came to a conclusion to summon before the National Disciplinary Committee all those involved from those 3 provinces namely Western Cape, Limpopo, and North West.

We have noted a series of statements purported to be by the PTT of LIMPOPO appointing Regional Task Teams, The NWC has reaffirmed its decision on the terms of reference and further came to a conclusion to send 4 NEC members to the province to run regional consultations to ensure stable, inclusive and united structures. Only then there shall be RTT’s in all regions in the province.

In NORTHWEST province we have resolved to send 3 NEC members who shall run inclusive consultations with branches, so as to ensure that we unite the province as it remains engulfed by deep factional divisions which are largely not SASCO related. The NWC remains committed to its declaration of ensuring a stable and united organisation and shall not be deterred by those who have identified our institutions as sources of their income.

The WESTERN CAPE province was placed under the administration of the NWC by our first NEC meeting and Cde Ngobe Lali has been working with the PEC as the NWC deployee, We have however as the NWC noted deliberate sabotage of the operations of the organisation by the either the incumbent or those who are deemed as convocation. We will not allow SASCO to be used as a lobbying tool for anyone in any structure outside the governance structures which we deploy in as the organisation.

It is in this light that the NWC took a decision to reinforce the deployment by 3 more NEC members, who will with immediate effect take over all duties of the PEC until there are stability and calm in the province and shall report to the SGO fortnightly on progress made. The NWC has further noted the suspension of Cde Siyabonga Booysens Nqanqase and has since resolved to move the matter of his DC to the NDC for a Free and Fair process, also noting that the PEC has all officials on acting capacity.

SASCO understands that the struggles of students in the country are directly linked with the broader struggles of our society and thus its historic mantra, “we are members of our communities before we are students” and therefore where there is an injustice against working masses of our nation we shall not be silent. Frontline workers in this country constitute a majority of the working population and primarily constituted of our parents who cannot afford to pay fees charged by our institutions of higher learning in our country. We will be found in front of the picket lines together with NEHAWU on the 1st to the 3rd of September defending the frontline workers in the health care system who are recklessly being endangered by our government. We will do so because we are of the strong view that the gains of our National Democratic Revolution are being reversed by those at the helm of government today.

We have noted the general decline and collapse of our institutions by incompetent and greedy Academics who are at the helm of our institutions who have identified our institutions of Higher Learning as Corporate Entities which must be looted after the collapse of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), we wish to send a strong warning that “Niyabonwa, kwaye sinijongile”. We will jealousy guard our institutions and shall name and shame those corrupt individuals, we are fully aware that the cost of fighting corruption is high and costly, but we shall not fail.

We condemn in the strongest terms possible the attempt to silence student leaders and murder student activism by the Vice-Chancellors and Administrators, we warn Prof Mthembu and Prof Rensburg that they must not dare test us. We shall not accept their heartless deeds of suspending our student leaders especially at a period which we find the country in. Our institutions of Higher Learning shall not be run by the likes of Adolf Hitler and M. Bison who opt to silence anyone who speaks against the injustices.

The National Working Committee remains committed to building a united fighting force for the students of South Africa, We owe it to generations after us to handle this organisation with care as it remains the only beacon of hope for the children of the working class and poor.

“Hard work is like a load placed before us, challenging us to shoulder it. Some loads are light, some heavy. Some people prefer the light to the heavy; they pick the light and shove the heavy on to others. That is not a good attitude. Some comrades are different; they leave ease and comfort to others and take the heavy loads themselves; they are the first to bear hardships the last to enjoy comforts. They are good comrades. We should all learn from their communist spirit.” Mao Tse Tung on the Chungking Negotiations” (October 17, 1945), Selected Works, Vol. IV, p. 58.

#StayHome

#BeSafe

Issued by SASCO NWC

Bamanye Matiwane – President at president@sasco.co.za

Buthanani Ngwane – Secretary General at sg@sasco.co.za

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Luvuyo Barnes

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