He was addressing reporters at Luthuli House while students from Wits and the University of Johannesburg were planning to occupy the ANC’s headquarters.
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Singing and chanting students crossed into town from the Braamfontiien campus of Wits University over the Nelson Mandela Bridge.
There were mixed emotions when an ANC speaker truck pulled up to the protest and former Wits Student Representative Council (SRC) president Mcebo Dlamini, who was expelled from the institution earlier this year for comments he made regarding Hitler, started leading protesters in song and spoke about the ANC’s mandate for free and fair education. It went on to say that the university was in support of the students’ demands.
Wits on Thursday denied rumours on social media that it had moved to freeze the bank accounts of its SRC. Irate students marched along Empire road, bringing traffic on one side of the busy road to a complete standstill.
Radebe said that they also had to prioritise their students’ needs.
Wits EFF chairperson Vuyani Pambo said students were not fooled by the 6% hike.
Gwede Mantashe said blame should not be shifted away from universities to government and the ruling party as universities take unilateral decisions when it comes to fee increments. “UJ is still in negotiations with management and we can’t sabotage these by striking”, he said.
Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande’s announcement Tuesday that an agreement had been reached to cap fee increases at six percent was met with anger from protesters.
“We are fighting to get free education, we are not looking to negotiate the hike, we want universities to realise that the fee hikes are excluding poor students from the getting education”.
A Wits University student leader has snubbed a statement by the institution’s management that they were in support of student demands for more government funding.
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The nationwide #FeesMustFall protests continued Thursday in South Africa.
