by Tebogo Tshwane | Sep 5, 2016 | Featured 1
by Tebogo Tshwane and Ayanda Mgede
Members of the African National Congress (ANC), representing opposing factions #OccupyLuthuliHouse and #DefendLuthuliHouse, came face to face in a tense standoff outside the party’s headquarters in Braamfontein earlier today. The #OccupyLuthuliHouse group handed over a memorandum to ANC Secretary General Gwede Mantashe calling for South African and ANC president Jacob Zuma to step down along with the resignation of the ANC’s National Executive Committee (NEC) and the dismantling of the Fees Commission.
SIYAYA: Protesters of #DefendLuthuliHouse arriving in their numbers. Photo: Ayanda Mgede
Mary Louw, a member of the faction said that the group was motivated by feedback received during their door to door campaign for the local government elections. Louw said that most people they spoke to said they would not be voting for the ANC because of the incumbent leadership.
“A lot of people say based on the Nkandla scandal ‘we are not voting for the ANC for as long as Zuma is President,’” Louw said.
Louw added the reason they are calling for the resignation of the NEC is the latter’s ‘autocratic’ leadership style. “They defended the President until the Constitutional Court found him guilty and even after that, they were arrogant. Instead of impeaching the President, they came to the branches and insisted that we should accept an apology from the ANC President.”
ARMOUR: Defend Luthuli House members accused the opposing faction of being funded by a third force. Tebogo Tshwane
ANC members who are defending Zuma say that problems within the ANC should be discussed within the party and not in front of the media.
Tim Mashele, the Mpumalanga ANC Youth League (ANCYL) Chairperson said that all ANC members need to have meetings where they can do some introspection as this was the only way to save the party.
“These ones they just want fame, that’s why they talk to the media. If there’s anyone that wants to save the ANC, they must go to the branches and various structures of the ANC so that we’re able to come up with real solutions to our problems,” said Mashele.
Gugu Ndima, one of the ANCYL members and organisers of the #OccupyLuthuliHouse march said they are giving the mother body a month to respond to the memorandum and they would continue to mobilise general society and other ANC members.
by Tebogo Tshwane | Aug 26, 2016 | News, Opinion
A photo of what is called a die-in at the silent protest held at Wits on August 17 was featured on the front page of the Wits Vuvuzela. As in every newsroom, the right to publish the picture or not was fiercely debated. Two of our journalists, Candice Wagener, who took the photo, and Tebogo Tshwane, who also covered the protest, state their opposing views on the decision.
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by Tebogo Tshwane | Aug 22, 2016 | News
The Wits SRC’s #Access campaign has so far fallen short of its intended R10 million target, raising R4.8 million over the last eight months.
The campaign, was launched to assist students who fall into the “missing middle”, a term used to describe students who do not qualify for NSFAS (National Student Financial Aid Scheme), funding but still cannot afford university fees.
SRC secretary general Fasiha Hassan believes the campaign has faltered due to political uncertainty in universities which has discouraged corporate donors.
“It is very heart-breaking because here we are trying to seek sustainable solutions to the issues in higher education only to have the door shut in our faces by the private sector,”.
Until now the money donated has gone towards assisting students with their accommodation and tuition. A portion of the fund has also been allocated to clearing the existing debt of some students. Hassan said that students belonging to the missing middle were prioritised first and then other students were included.
“Those who were rejected from NSFAS because they fell above the R120 000 cap were then included, we also had various other elements such as household income,” said Hassan.
She added that the SRC, through its Humanitarian Fund board, also looked at students’ academic performance to fund students who potentially could secure bursaries, as well as third-year and final-year students, “because they are going to finish their degree, in theory, and be able to pay back and donate”. Fields that were generally under-funded were also prioritised.
The SRC will be opening applications for 2016 in the next three months.
Related articles
Wits Vuvuzela: #AccessCampaign Accommodation crisis temporarily resolved, May 17, 2016
Wits Vuvuzela: #ACCESS Campaign: Where are we now?, March 4, 2016
by Tebogo Tshwane | Aug 15, 2016 | News
With all the excitement around #FeesMustFallReloaded, there’s one name that seems to be at the center of it all: The South African Union of Students (SAUS), but who are they?
SAUS is a student union that is elected by SRC’s from universities across the country and therefore represent all Student Representative Councils in the country.
They have been speaking for students at the Fees Commision’s public hearings which began last week and on Sunday SAUS released a statement calling for mass meetings across universities on the issue of fee increments.
According to the SAUS Secretary General Sthembiso Ka-Ndlovu the union was established at Stellenbosch University in 2006, it’s main purpose was so that students had a single representative body in the higher education sector.
They union is said to be a national and non-partisan umbrella body of student representation in the country.
However people on social media have been questioning the legitimacy of SAUS and the fact that it is mostly comprised of Progressive Youth Alliance (PYA) members, an organisation made up of mostly ANC-affiliated youth organisations.
Ka-Ndlovu says there is a heavy PYA presence in SAUS because SRC’s elect the members and “of the 25 Universities about 19 of them are SASCO-led.”
Who is in the executive?
President: Avela Mjajubala – Durban University of Technology
Deputy President: Moza Motlalepula – North West University
Secretary General: Sthembiso Ka-Nkosi – Tshwane University of Technology
Deputy Secretary General: Fasiha Hassan – Wits University
Treasurer: Misheck Mugabe – Fort Hare University.
People who can be nominated to represent students in SAUS have to have been part of the SRC in the last two years prior to being elected.
The union currently has 15 members.
Related stories:
Wits Vuvuzela: SAUS to begin mobilising from Monday as fee increase looms, August 14, 2016
Wits Vuvuzela: Treasury says no money to fund zero percent fee increase, August 14, 2016
by Tebogo Tshwane | Aug 14, 2016 | News
The South African Union of Students (SAUS) have announced plans to hold mass consultations and mass meetings starting from Monday.
The student union said SRC’s from different institutions across the country will be hosting mass consultations with students in a bid to compile a national list of demands.
“As the Union our stance is very clear: there can be no increment in any student fees until the realization of free and quality education” said the student union in a statement released on their Facebook page.
There has been wide speculation on a potential shutdown on social media following a tweets which alleged that the Progressive Youth Alliance had been invited to an urgent meeting with Minister of Higher Education Blade Nzimande to stop students from protesting.
However SAUS have rubbished these claims and said they receive their mandate from students.
“We also reject with contempt those who are attempting to divide the student movement by alleging that SAUS has been in any meetings today (14 August 2016) with the State.”
Nzimande was suppose to make an announcement on whether would be a fee increment for 2017 on Saturday. The press briefing that that was set to happen in Pretoria was postponed indefinitely at the last minute.
The EFF Student Command has also announced that they will not be involved in protests on fee increments saying that their focus is on free education.
“The EFFSC, again, vehemently distances itself from this nationwide student strike which is scheduled to start tomorrow morning. Following this statement, we will issue a directive to all our branches in both Universities and TVETS making it clear that no EFFSC activists should form part of any mass action that is organized by SAUS(and/or its PYA collaborators)”
Click here to read SAUS full statement.
Click here to read EFFSC full statement.
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Wits Vuvuzela: Fees Commission wraps up first round in Gauteng, August 14, 2016
ENCA: Uncertainty over universities opening on Monday , August 14, 2016
by Tebogo Tshwane | Aug 11, 2016 | News
The South African Union of Students (SAUS) has said they will be looking to discuss issues of free education directly with the Presidency than through the Commission of Inquiry into Free Higher Education.
This comes after the first day of the Commission’s public hearings in Pretoria.
SAUS deputy secretary general Fasiha Hassan said they wanted the direct line because they were disappointed with the commission’s lack of political power to discuss issues of free higher education.
“SAUS is now looking towards creating a direct line with the president of the republic, particularly because this is a presidential commission and when we raise issues, stuff around decomodification, stuff around how to realise free education, we are often told that we now have to take it back to the president,” said Hassan.
She added that “If we are not going to be talking to a commission without political will then we have to take it straight to the top.”
Student activist Tasneem Essop also questioned the Commission’s purpose on Twitter.
“I don’t understand, surely #FeesCommission should be finding a feasible model for free education & not checking if free education is feasible,” she said.
The commission of inquiry was established in January by President Jacob Zuma following #FeesMustFall protests where students demanded free higher education and training. The commission was expected to submit their findings in eight months, however two weeks ago the Presidency said they would extend the due date to next year June 30.
The commission is expected to submit a preliminary report on or before November 15. The public hearings are set to continue today in Pretoria and will end in September in Kimberly.
Related Stories
Wits Vuvuzela: Students reaffirm call for free education, August 10, 2016
Wits Vuvuzela: Wits University invites calls to influence fees , April 30,2016
by Tebogo Tshwane | Jul 29, 2016 | News
DESTINATION Green is a student recycling service that focuses on promoting environmental sustainability and economic viability.
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by Tebogo Tshwane | Jul 22, 2016 | News
Student residents of South Point will spend the night of July 28 sleeping outside to raise awareness about homelessness. This Student SleepOut will happen concurrently with the Sun International CEO SleepOut.
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by Tebogo Tshwane | Jul 22, 2016 | Lifestyle
Natural products in the business of making black women’s lives easier
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by Tebogo Tshwane | Jul 16, 2016 | News
Fee increases for next year are not welcome.
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by Tebogo Tshwane | Jul 13, 2016 | Featured 1
All registered Wits students can get Word, ExceL, Powerpoimt and many more for free.
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by Tebogo Tshwane | May 17, 2016 | Opinion
Students have their say about the SABC’s decision to play 90 percent local music.
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