We the 705 delegates to the 22nd Congress of South African Students Congress, gathered at Gauteng, The Lakes Hotel from the 17th to 20th of November 2022, graced by the presence and participation of 23 convocants, SWAYOCO,SASU,COSAS leasdership and DHET officials . We convened under the theme “towards rebuilding the student’s hegemony for the realisation of free Quality & Compulsory Education” in Celebrating 31 years of SASCO.
The convergence of members of the student movement from across the length and breadth of South Africa, was not only reminder of where we are coming from as the gigantic student movement, but a renewal of our commitment and contract to the seemingly indissoluble struggle of students, in particular those from the poor and working class.
A truculent duty on this congress was to interrogate how far we’ve come, the strides which we have made in tandem to the challenges we’ve endured as an organisation but also the broader student movement.
We therefore have a responsibility of repositioning SASCO as a student’s movement of choice and a leader of the Progressive Youth Alliance in institutions of higher learning.
Congress took note of the political instability within the Mass Democratic Movement, As part of our analysis, this congress of SASCO, the student movement of Claude Qavane, Wanga Sigila, Xola Nene, Bathandwa Ndondo, Simphiwe Zuma, Babalwa Ndabeni, Buyile Matiwane has identified factionalism, money politics, disunity as some of the weaknesses of the student movement. This congress declared an anti-thesis of the above.
Therefore Congress declared that SASCO must prioritise organisational renewal. We are of the view that organisational renewal will prove to be the bedrock for the sustainable development of SASCO as organization.
This renewal will focus among other things, cadre development. We note the decline in quality of membership and that has had a huge contribution on the state of the organisation, we have resolved that this is one of key areas we will be focusing on working with branches of SASCO across the country.
It is the view of this congress, that, if we are truly serious about organisational renewal and unity, we must be protective and jealous of SASCO so it can remain the beacon of hope for students in institutions of higher learning.
The congress has also noted the declining electoral performance in the recent SRC elections, our leadership across all structures must work with membership in ensuring that we turn this around.
SRCs are a critical tool to influencing the policy positions of institutions of higher learning so as to advocate for the children of the poor and working class. The Congress noted that the loss of SASCO in these SRC elections will prove an impediment towards the advancement and advocating for free Quality & Compulsory Education and building the kind of society we have envisaged.
The Congress expressed its disapproval towards the shortcomings that are associated with online voting system. We note that the service rendered to host online elections is outsourced to companies whose primary interests is monetary gains rather than improvements that will ensure transparent and credible elections. As congress we resolve on taking institutions to task by seeking abolishment of the online voting system in favor of a manual voting system in order to strengthen students participation in the election processes and ensuring accountability. Therefore, Congress declared that branches must look at their experiences and what should be a SASCO approach to this effect, the office of the SGO will spearhead branch consultation on this.
The congress also took note of the grave social ills currently plaguing our institutions of higher learning and country. We are of the view that these ills need all progressives within institutions to be at the centre stage of socio-economic transformation. This congress declared Gender Based Violence and Femicide as a pandemic.
This congress also condemned rape culture and femicide in institutions of higher learning. To this effect the congress has declared to endow the responsibility of being a pioneer and a yardstick in the struggle to combat GBVF and all related crimes to all members of SASCO. The organisation will be leading all its leaders and members towards reviewing and strengthening the legislative front of this struggle, this will encompass but not limited to the respective GBV policies of all institutions of higher learning.
We further affirmed our stance that the ANC needs to fight against unemployment of young people particularly graduates. As an organisation we always remember that our program to transform our society will be advanced primarily towards and through organising and mobilising students
This congress declared that there lies no difference between students, and that albeit their study environments and institutions aren’t homogenous, the prevalent socioeconomic conditions they’re confronted with are the same, and therefore there should be no different allocation of resources between TVET and Universities.
The congress also resolved that students from both TVET and Universities must unite and stand their ground because they have nothing to lose but their chains as Karl Marx, once clearly alluded.
The congress took note that in line with SASCO’s imperatives towards the transformation of institutions of higher learning and building progressive societies in favour of the working class, we must note the critical shifts in the sector.
In noting these changes, we must interrogate what do they mean for the current conjecture in which we currently find ourselves and subsequently for our day to day programme.
The call and need to transform the Sector through the struggles that would be waged by SASCO as envisaged in our Strategic Perspective on Transformation, were informed by the prevalent conditions within the sector, which when identified members of SASCO said they had “noted the elitist education
discourse that is unfolding throughout our campuses.”
The document goes on to reflect and commission a debate on the restructuring of the sector, a sector which at the time was accessible to less than 10% of the black majority, who in the main are the poor and working class majority.
The Congress reflected that in 2018, former president Zuma, in what was a monumental milestone in SASCO’s historic struggle for Free Education, gained us one of the most significant ground advantages towards attaining total free education in our lifetime. This was a critical point in the life of the struggle for free education and the broader student movement, so critical that what was an appalling less than 10% possibility of access to higher education for the poor and working class, was now contrasted by more than 90% of households in South Africa who would now qualify under the revised household cap.
This critical milestone meant that the face and character of the student in our universities and colleges would now change, it meant that these once ivory towers that were not so long ago only accessible to the children of the ruling class and petite bourgeoisies, were now open to the poor working class majority, who in the main are black. This obviously was not without the inherent systematic predispositions which are antagonistic to that access and the subsequent success of these students.
But on this structural change alone, it beckoning us to revise and review our strategies and tactics towards the transformation of the sector. In our Strategic perspective, we must resolve not to miss an opportunity to achieve the restructuring we envisaged as back as the 4th congress of SASCO in 1995.
Whilst we justifiably gloried in the opening of doors to learning as per the freedom charter, Congress noted that there are subsequent structural impediments that still undermined this broad access. Long prior to COVID 19, it had become abundantly illuminated that, the classroom had been becoming increasingly digitalized, and that access to data and laptops wasn’t a luxury but a necessity which, without there were no probable expectations of success for the student of the poor and working class.
Recently the minister published a draft policy on the restructuring of the sector, the Congress deliberated on the impact of this on SASCO, the broader student movement and the attainment of a National Democratic Society as per our minimum programme with the ANC and broader Mass Democratic Movement.
The Congress further noted the MTT report on the revised funding policy of higher education, and the subsequent impact this will have on the structure of the sector and the livelihoods of the working class. Amongst some of the recommendations of the report is a government loan guaranteed system.
Congress therefore declared that we must ensure that within this we don’t further yoke the working class with the capitalist chains of lifetime repayments of study loans.
The sum and total of these observations, summons us to catechize what does this mean for the sector and SASCO as it pertains to the following:
• Access (impact)
• GBVF
• Responsiveness of the sector to the prevailing Socioeconomic conditions
• Role of institutions in the social project
Congress declared to review its policy and tactical positions as it pertains to the abovementioned issues. This review will be done by and through structures of SASCO.
Upon a the conclusion of this process, Congress resolved that SASCO will embark on a nationwide campaign through its structures to equip all its leaders and members on their role in advancing the struggle in line with these identified challenges.
The Congress further endorsed the launch of the Buyile Matiwane Foundation which as set up by the family and comrades of the late 21st Deputy President of SASCO, Cde Buyile Matiwane in his memory and honour. Having dedicated the majority of his adult life to the advancement of SASCO and its ideals, Congress committed to supporting the work of the foundation in immortalising the ideas of the late Deputy President as shaped by that of SASCO
Empowered and granted by the constitution of SASCO and within the confines of renewing and reviving the organisation, congress elected the following comrades into the National Executive Committee:
1. Cde Vezinhlanhla Simelane (President)
2. Cde Julia Mtsweni (Deputy President)
3. Cde Alungile Kamtshe (Secretary General)
4. Cde Asive Dlanjwa (Deputy Secretary General)
5. Cde Thabile Dlamini (Treasurer General)
6. Cde Zandile Tshabalala
7. Cde Mbalizonke Magubane
8. Cde Njabulo Mbatha
9. Cde Landy Ndlovu
10. Cde Daniel Lediga
11. Cde Sinazo Hafula
12. Cde Sanele Nxili
13. Cde Genius Shabalala
14. Cde Pamela Chacha
15. Cde Lakie Mokoena
16. Cde Nontsindiso Mbutho
17. Cde Mangaliso Nompula
18. Cde Lungelo Nonjikelo
END.
Issued by SASCO 22nd NEC
Vezinhlanhla Simelane
President
0835865934
Alungile Kamtshe
Secretary General
0728418607