The #FeesMustFall campaign has scored another ally in their bid for a fee free and decolonised tertiary education.

One of the biggest trade unions in the country‚ the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa‚ resolved to throw its weight behind the students.

Since last year thousands of students have engaged in numerous protests across the country demanding free tertiary education.

This prompted President Jacob Zuma to establish a commission to investigate the feasibility of fee-free education for the poor.

Speaking at Numsa’s 10th national congress‚ which was held in Cape Town this week‚ the union’s secretary‚ Irvin Jim‚ said the protests were a symptom of the ANC government’s failure to fully implement the Freedom Charter.

“Congress agreed that we need to more actively back the students’ struggle for free‚ quality and decolonised education and that we must get into the front line of this struggle‚” said Jim.

Earlier this week in his opening address Numsa president‚ Andrew Chirwa‚ applauded the students’ strategy to combine their call for a fee-free education and insourcing workers at universities.

He encouraged delegates to be involved in the campaign as it was workers‚ and not the students‚ who ultimately had to pay for the fees.

Numsa has also called for Zuma to face the 783 charges brought against him by the National Prosecuting Authority in 2007.

 TMG Digital/Sunday Times