Among the dignitaries present at the university’s sports complex for the celebrations were chancellor Makhenkesi Stofile, Eastern Cape premier Phumulo Masualle, African Union Commission chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, and various MPs.
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“Using available engagement platforms like negotiations with the University management to find a solution is what sober students do, they never resort to anarchy. The president must come and feed us”. “Voetsek Zuma, voetsek Mugabe”, one of the students said.
The Universities of Fort Hare and Limpopo have been hailed for the quality of graduates it has produced in the past, but now the institutions are facing tough times amid rising dissent at higher education institutions across the country.
But he did not want the scholarship fund to die completely. “That is the history we share‚” Mugabe said.
“But now‚ I said: “Let’s educate them on an equal basis”‚” Mugabe said.
Known as the academic home of so many of South Africa’s liberation figures, Fort Hare’s contribution to our democratic society can not be understated.
Security was however expected to be tightened for Friday’s event.
During South Africa’s apartheid years, Fort Hare was nationalised and segregated along racial lines, but despite the challenges, it remained committed in educating black students. “Among them there was so much unity in what they wanted to do‚” Zuma said.
Mugabe was welcomed at the East London airport by South African Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe.
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A South African university renowned as the launchpad for political leaders such as Nelson Mandela and Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe celebrates its centenary today against a backdrop of violent student protests.
