Protesting Wits University students are calling on President Cyril Ramaphosa, to reshuffle the Minister of Higher Education Blade Nzimande, during his cabinet reshuffle this evening.
The students have been protesting since last week, calling for an end to financial exclusion and provision of accommodation among others.
The first call for Nzimande to step down was made by the historic Fees Must Fall protests in 2015 and now the Wits students are also joining in the calls for the Minister of Higher Education to be moved out.
Wits University Chairperson of the Law Students’ Council Thato Lebitso said Nzimande must be reshuffled for his failures.
“I do not see how the SACP as a communist party deployed someone who clearly holds capitalistic views but we are hoping Blade will not come back, if he does that would be a slap in the face of the students,” he said, adding that they would be the first to welcome his removal.
Wits University SRC member Karabo Matlhoga said if Nzimande is removed, someone who has extensive background in education should be brought in.
“We hope that the president will not reshuffle someone from Tourism to the Department of Higher Education. I think it’s high time we promote someone with expertise in the field to be the one taking this position therefore they would have necessary knowledge and expertise, maybe a former Vice Chancellor could help,” he said.
He also accused ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula of being reckless with words. This after he said in a press briefing last week that “poorly performing” students should not exploit the financial crisis for political gains.
“The problem is that certain leaders that are in power (commenting) without understanding students’ perspective, they do not have an idea of our lived experiences which is totally different from their time when they were students,” Matlhoga said.
He said Mbalula should do more research on student financial exclusion with the sub-committees he was speaking about. Then he would understand where the crisis is.
“The crisis is NSFAS failing us, the Department of Higher Education not addressing these with the urgency that it deserves, and just expecting us just to go back to class,” he said.
Students marched to Vice Chancellor Zeblon Vilakazi’s house in Parktown last night demanding to meet with him but Matlhoga said they never threatened him or his family contrary to what the university Spokesperson Shirona Patel claimed.
“The march to the Vice Chancellor was not a violent act. We wanted him to give solutions because he’s sleeping in his house comfortably. A house that has chef, wifi, everything the VC is living a luxurious life you cannot deny that but what is he doing about someone sleeping in a library that was a peaceful demonstration,” he said.
