THE REFLECTIONS ON THE FEES MUST FALL MOVEMENT

THE REFLECTIONS ON THE FEES MUST FALL MOVEMENT

The Fees Must Fall movement began in 2015 as a response to proposed fee increases at South African universities. Students argued that the increases would further exacerbate existing inequalities and limit access to education for the poor, previously disadvantaged communities, and marginalised communities. The movement quickly gained momentum, with protests spreading across the country. The Fees Must Fall movement in South Africa was a pivotal moment in the country’s history, marked by widespread student protests demanding free tertiary education. While the movement aimed to address legitimate concerns about accessibility and affordability, it was marred by violent clashes, hooliganism, and destruction of property.

It was very unfortunate that the movement was also characterised by violent students protest, threat and danger to humanoid limb and life, and the destruction of university and private property. Universities’’ response was securitisation of the campuses by private security companies and the South African Police Services. The violence and hooliganism disrupted the entire universities’ ecosystem. It posed serious threat to the safety and the well-being of students, employees, and associated  stakeholders. Several students decided to de-register or cancel their studies due the academic disruptions by the movement. Most of the protesting students were injured or arrested during the clashes. Most of the universities’ workforce indicated that they are full of fear and nervousness.

The protests caused substantial destruction to universities’ infrastructure and property. Lecture halls, halls of residences, vehicles, and libraries. Some of these properties were set alight. The destruction and or vandalism of universities properties resulted in noteworthy financial burden on universities. Government officials, the broader society and university management called for the amicable resolution of the problem of students’ funding in the country.

CONCLUSION

South African students are still struggling with their funding despite the free educations promised by the government of the day. The NSFAS that has been task with managing the free education bursary scheme is in shambles. Students are still facing historical debts, lack or no funding, being funded and defunded after some months. NSFAS is characterised by crony capitalism and kleptocracy of its worst form. One of the sources of NSFAS failure is th look alike communist Dr Blade Nzimande who centralised everything from universities to NSFAS. Dr Nzimande just though he was Hugo Chavez, Xi Jinping, Karl Marx, Augustino Neto, Putin, Kim Jong Un, Mao Zedong, Samora Machel, and ad infinitum. But he was just Benito Mussolini, Hosni Mubarak, R.G. Mugabe and Idi Amin. He just wanted poor which he abused at last with the legacy of incapable and corrupt NSFAS. Universities are still not transformed with unequal education systems of historically white and black education.

          Fees Must Fall movement is a stark and tragic reminder that the government and universities must listen and take the plight of students seriously. Walter Sisulu University where a Residence Manager shot a student dead is one of the reminders of the malign executive universities’ management. This sad story of the reminder of the failures of university leadership beyond the Fees Must Fall movement. One need to ask universities’ executive managements that there will never be peace at universities if they sleep on duty. They must read the “LUCIFFER EFFECT AND THE FRUSTRATION-AGGRESSION THEORY.” Peace will be always elusive at universities if management sleeps on duty, mostly black executive management who maintains the status quo on the previously white universities instead of being progressive forces and disruptors of the legacy of colonialism and apartheid.