Statement issued by UDM President, Bantu Holomisa
The brutal attack by police directed against the peacefully protesting students of the Nelson Mandela Municipality University and other Universities in the country, resembles the apartheid government’s response during the mid-1970s to the mid-1980 student uprising against Bantu Education.
If one poor student loses his or her life as a result of the police actions, will not be surprised, Marikana has taught us, that even under democracy, a brutal police force is used to suppress the views of citizen.
As South Africans, we must join hands and reject the suppression of the Constitution Right of the students, our children, brothers and sisters. We must show the ruling party we will not allow this country to go back to the apartheid days.
The current financial crisis confronting tertiary institution and education in general, demands that government, go back to basic and reprioritise. First, the elite projects intended to benefit the ruling elite must be stopped, and redirect those funds towards Education and other important priorities like Health.
Whilst these young poor souls are denied quality and affordable education, the pockets of the few ruling party and its elite are lined to benefit from the public purse through elite projects.
The kids are still suffering racism, lack of institutional transformation, financial exclusion and now police brutality. How much more should they endure in the hands of a democratic government.
This must come to an end.
