The cry by Vaal University of Technology (VUT) SRC President is a cry for help during August 2024 Parliamentary Portfolio committee briefing on Higher Education, is a cry from a Black child in South Africa’s historical universities. Most historically Black universities or current black dominated universities are badly run. Some Vice Chancellors of University council are poor leaders or there is no willingness to manage our educational assets properly. Its systems these management structures cannot manage even a village post office. How can a university function properly when the university cannot manage to finish just a construction or maintenance of university infrastructure. A remarkably simple task that requires a proper procurement system. Universities does not have enough resources while students, parents, sponsors, and the government provide these universities with subsidies.
Some of these universities cannot provide basic learning and teaching assets, let alone research facilities. Some universities (like VUT) have been under constant Government led Administration because they are unable to have qualified and suitable leadership. Some universities are crippled by the political meddling buy outside political figures without an interest in education. It baffles one’s mind because historically white universities do not have the same challenges of leadership or instability like the historical Black universities. Ooh, let us blame apartheid and the white man’s damage of the education of the Black child and its collapse more than 30 years of democracy and freedom. Or does it make sense that our current government is failing, local government is dead, and the delivery of services has collapsed like many Black universities. Some universities just like some government departments and or local municipalities are just criminal enterprises for figures who do not have an interest in the future of our country and a lack child.
How many universities have been subjected to government led leadership interventions. Why government leadership interventions do not work or seems to be a total failure as universities relapses after some successful interventions. Can government be a correct arbiter in a university leadership crisis while our government is under a crisis of leadership. NSFAS is an example of the failures by the government and or the Department of Higher Education. NSFAS fails to pay students their well-deserved stipends, fails to give students their bursary applications responses, NSFAS has the same leadership crisis that most historically Black universities are facing, allegation of a criminal enterprise beset by ill-advised political meddling and or crony capitalism.
One big question: Can a sick patient treat another sick patient? The answer is a big NO. It clearly indicates that the failure of universities lies squarely on our political leadership’s failure which dominates the hiring of university management, sometimes along the political party lines. Some Vice-Chancellors never deserved to sit on top of universities leadership positions, at all. It happens in South Africa, where the future of our children is slaughtered at the alter like “THE LUST FOR JESUS CHRIST BLOOD”.
Our students and their student leaders are genuinely provoked by the failure of the Department of Higher Education, NSFAS and poor university leadership and mismanagement. Normally, students in these universities are called thugs, and or hooligans while the students are left with no choice because they are being frustrated day in and day out. They sleep on the floors, inside dilapidated buildings, unsafe and unhygienic buildings, corruption enterprises destroy their future and their right to education. Their bright future is being butchered in front of them, wily nilly. Just Like the Bososa Gate, Kandla Gate and the GUPTA’s state capture.
Most students turn aggressive and turns into aggressive violent protests because someone is blocking their right to education just in front of their eyes. Every beginning of an academic year students suffers at the hands of ineffective and inefficient NSFAS and or badly prepared universities. They accept a child from previously disadvantage community but not ready to service the child. The students are their own at these universities and they are left with no choice, their voices cannot be heard by NSFAS and university management. Most historical universities management are agent provocateurs, they provoke students to turn into violent and aggressive protests. Justly and justifiably so. Frustration-Aggressive Actions are the results of poor leadership by NSFAS and universities’ management.
THE COUNTRIES’ LEADERSHIP SILENCE AND FAILURES PROVOKE THE STUDENTS AND IT WON’T BE LONG, WE WILL BACK TO A FEESMUSTFALL LIKE REVOLUTION WE ARE NOT READY MANAGE.
