Like a statue of a Roman emperor standing aloft on a plinth‚ Fees Must Fall activist Bonginkosi Khanyile stood on the balcony of a Standard Bank branch at the Durban University of Technology and addressed his adoring student audience for the first time since becoming a free man.
To cheers and almost never-ending applause he vowed that 2017 would be the final round for “colonial education” in South Africa. And the student leader — who has likened himself to freedom fighter Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe — has not ruled out the possibility of being arrested again in pursuit of free education.
Buoyed by his release on bail from the Westville Prison on Thursday morning after a Constitutional Court ruling the previous day‚ Khanyile went on the offensive and pulled no punches against those he believed were behind his incarceration for five months.
In a 10-minute long speech punctuated by sarcasm‚ Khanyile‚ who was flanked by his mother Phumzile Khanyile‚ 58‚ told students that instead of being traumatised by his imprisonment‚ he had come back much more stronger.
He took a swipe at the “white magistrate‚ Indian prosecutor and Afrikaner investigating officer who ensured that I was denied bail”.
“Instead of destroying me they have made me a better man. And I love them too‚” he said.
Wearing the slingshot he was accused of using against a police officer during a violent student protest on campus‚ Khanyile added: “I also love the police officer who arrested me and the witnesses who testified against me.”
A defiant Khanyile said the struggle for free education was not over and 2017 was going to be the final round for the campaign.
“I want to reiterate that 2017 is going to be the final round of colonial education. We are removing it. We will replace it with free and decolonised education. As the generation of 2017 if we want free education to be a reality we must be prepared to sacrifice.
“I have played my role but by the look of things I don’t think it’s the last time I’m going to prison. I am saying that because instead of being traumatised by prison‚ I’ve come back 10 times stronger than I was before prison‚” he said.
He said students had to ensure that their children and grandchildren saluted them as the people who were prepared to sacrifice‚ like Sobukwe was.
“We’re inspired today that the call for free education has been heard. We must ensure that in our lifetime we get free quality education. We must ensure when our kids and our grandchildren come to our graves they come and salute us‚” he said.
Khanyile said that while he was in prison he had received messages of support from Swaziland‚ Brazil and France. He said the people in Swaziland had been inspired by the #FeesMustFall campaign.
He then singled out Swaziland’s King Mswati III‚ saying the people needed to remove him either through the ballot or the barrel of a gun because he was an oppressor.
His mother thanked the students and the public for supporting her son while he was in prison. Chanting “Forward with free education‚ Forward”‚ she urged every youth in South Africa to get an education.
I'm ready to go to jail again‚ released fees activist tells cheering crowd
Like a statue of a Roman emperor standing aloft on a plinth‚ Fees Must Fall activist Bonginkosi Khanyile stood on the balcony of a Standard Bank branch at the Durban University of Technology and addressed his adoring student audience for the first time since becoming a free man.
To cheers and almost never-ending applause he vowed that 2017 would be the final round for “colonial education” in South Africa. And the student leader — who has likened himself to freedom fighter Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe — has not ruled out the possibility of being arrested again in pursuit of free education.
Buoyed by his release on bail from the Westville Prison on Thursday morning after a Constitutional Court ruling the previous day‚ Khanyile went on the offensive and pulled no punches against those he believed were behind his incarceration for five months.
In a 10-minute long speech punctuated by sarcasm‚ Khanyile‚ who was flanked by his mother Phumzile Khanyile‚ 58‚ told students that instead of being traumatised by his imprisonment‚ he had come back much more stronger.
He took a swipe at the “white magistrate‚ Indian prosecutor and Afrikaner investigating officer who ensured that I was denied bail”.
“Instead of destroying me they have made me a better man. And I love them too‚” he said.
Wearing the slingshot he was accused of using against a police officer during a violent student protest on campus‚ Khanyile added: “I also love the police officer who arrested me and the witnesses who testified against me.”
A defiant Khanyile said the struggle for free education was not over and 2017 was going to be the final round for the campaign.
“I want to reiterate that 2017 is going to be the final round of colonial education. We are removing it. We will replace it with free and decolonised education. As the generation of 2017 if we want free education to be a reality we must be prepared to sacrifice.
“I have played my role but by the look of things I don’t think it’s the last time I’m going to prison. I am saying that because instead of being traumatised by prison‚ I’ve come back 10 times stronger than I was before prison‚” he said.
He said students had to ensure that their children and grandchildren saluted them as the people who were prepared to sacrifice‚ like Sobukwe was.
“We’re inspired today that the call for free education has been heard. We must ensure that in our lifetime we get free quality education. We must ensure when our kids and our grandchildren come to our graves they come and salute us‚” he said.
Khanyile said that while he was in prison he had received messages of support from Swaziland‚ Brazil and France. He said the people in Swaziland had been inspired by the #FeesMustFall campaign.
He then singled out Swaziland’s King Mswati III‚ saying the people needed to remove him either through the ballot or the barrel of a gun because he was an oppressor.
His mother thanked the students and the public for supporting her son while he was in prison. Chanting “Forward with free education‚ Forward”‚ she urged every youth in South Africa to get an education.
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