Wits University Vice chancellor Adam Habib has warned against romanticising the #FeesMustFall protests‚ saying loss of life was what protesters were after so that their call would be taken seriously.
Speaking at the Fees forum in Kempton Park on Monday‚ Habib said he had engaged with student protesters who had alluded to wanting their own Marikana massacre.
“We have to ask hard questions on the aspect of violence. I listened to some protesters saying they want their own Marikana moment... that people must die for them to be heard. We must collectively stand up and not romanticise violence and death‚” said Habib.
“My generation and the generation previous to that lost too many people. No one knows the pain in the hearts of Solomon Mahlangu’s family members.”
Habib said that close to R1 billion worth of university infrastructure had been destroyed in the past 18 months‚ “and yet not a single person has been arrested and prosecuted. We have to fix the crises with policing and prosecution“.
Habib also called on all stakeholders to actively participate in the forum and Free education can not happen overnight as it needs to be part of a process.
“We need an urgent engagement to immediately resolve the fee issue‚ we can not wait for the commission’s report‚” said Habib.
He also warned that if the academic year was not completed the public health sector and the economy would be short-changed of thousands of graduates who would have graduated. — TMG Digital
Students protesters want their own Marikana: Habib
Wits University Vice chancellor Adam Habib has warned against romanticising the #FeesMustFall protests‚ saying loss of life was what protesters were after so that their call would be taken seriously.
Speaking at the Fees forum in Kempton Park on Monday‚ Habib said he had engaged with student protesters who had alluded to wanting their own Marikana massacre.
“We have to ask hard questions on the aspect of violence. I listened to some protesters saying they want their own Marikana moment... that people must die for them to be heard. We must collectively stand up and not romanticise violence and death‚” said Habib.
“My generation and the generation previous to that lost too many people. No one knows the pain in the hearts of Solomon Mahlangu’s family members.”
Habib said that close to R1 billion worth of university infrastructure had been destroyed in the past 18 months‚ “and yet not a single person has been arrested and prosecuted. We have to fix the crises with policing and prosecution“.
Habib also called on all stakeholders to actively participate in the forum and Free education can not happen overnight as it needs to be part of a process.
“We need an urgent engagement to immediately resolve the fee issue‚ we can not wait for the commission’s report‚” said Habib.
He also warned that if the academic year was not completed the public health sector and the economy would be short-changed of thousands of graduates who would have graduated. — TMG Digital
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