The South African Students Congress (SASCO) is angered and agitated by minister Bonginkosi Nzimande who is at the helm of the strategic sector in our country. As an organisation we are of the firm view that the arrogance displayed by Blade, is the exact arrogance he displayed at the height of #FMF Campaign and continues to persist, the arrogance that was vehemently rejected by all students and landed him to a well-deserved reshuffle. It is obvious that he sits central to creating turmoil in the sector and cares little about students.
As the organisation we find the governing party of the day to be constant in its struggle to render the freedom charter, its constitution and its founding documents as useless documents and being a shadow of its former self. The ANC government is hard at work trying to reverse the hard-won struggle of South African students not limited to rights to education, provision of fee free higher education and opening all doors of learning to the people of South Africa. We are disappointed and annoyed by the government for taking the decision to:
1. Be confused on the dispersing of allowances for the remainder of the 20/21 academic year;
2. Inflict anxiety on NSFAS beneficiaries especially at a time where they must sit for exams, we have always denounced the raiding of money from students at this period;
3. Dismally fail to single coordinate post schooling and training sector;
This comes withstanding at the backdrop of a long-standing agreement between Minister Blade, Dr Randall and student leadership that there shall be continued disbursement of allowances (accommodation and meals) to all NSAFAS beneficiaries. We are of the view that to discontinue disbursement of allowances is inhumane and antithesis of our socio-economic issues in our country. The post covid-19 crisis has increased unemployment, rising inequality and dark cloud of poverty remind us of uncertain economic future and unchartered territories for the poor students and working-class background.
The organisation is perplexed that government wouldn’t consider that a student would need meal and accommodation allowances for the remainder of the year and as such go as far as withdrawing its funding after it has extended the academic year while all stakeholders have unanimously resolved on continued funding for the academic year. SASCO is of the view that extension of the academic year must also translate to extension of funding.
We call for the immediate pronouncement on the future of student allowances as it relates to their accommodation and meal allowances, and must not be limited to NSFAS students but inclusive of all bursary students as the minister with his whole executive are not heading only NSFAS students. The organisation has since called for a single academic calendar applicable to all institutions of higher learning because we had foreseen this crisis looming. We remain convinced that the failure by minister Blade to develop and adopt a single academic calendar is tantamount to undermining our broader of view of transforming higher education to be single coordinated higher education system for the benefit of our people.
The organisation is convinced that student accommodation crisis does not only lie with the students themselves but number of stakeholders inclusive of the landlords, parents, donors, institutions of higher learning and government. As an organisation we have witnessed the eviction of students because of the failure by donors to honour contractual agreements between the lesser and lessee, at the receiving end it has always been students who suffer victimization that relate to femicide and gender-based violation because of their vulnerability for decent shelter.
SASCO has resolved to deploy its top officials to Provinces to oversee these student accommodation imbizos commencing at the end of the of November. These Imbizos are aimed at finding the amicable solutions to resolve the crisis made by the short minister and transmitted from the past of historical injustices.
In conclusion, we warn minister Blade Nzimande to dare the South African student populace and undermine them on the unequivocal demands and we shall be left with no option but for him to be condemned to his permanent stay in Kwa Dambuza.
Issued by SASCO NEC
Bamanye Matiwane
President
Buthanani Thobela
Secretary General
For Enquiries:
Luvuyo Barnes
Media and Communication Liaison
079 393 7131
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