CAPE TOWN, October 13 (ANA) – The ANC has called for an end to violent protest over university fees and said all parties must return to the negotiating table to broker an end to the unrest that continued on campuses on Thursday.
“While the ANC-led government remains committed to ensuring equitable access to education and free education for the poor, we condemn in the harshest possible terms the continuing attempts to disrupt classes and what remains of the academic year at various campuses,†ANC spokesman Zizi Kodwa said.
“The ANC calls on all stakeholders to return to the negotiation table, where in good faith, a collective resolution to the current impasse can be found.â€
Kodwa said anarchy and calls to make universities ungovernable were incompatible with a genuine wish for functioning institutions of higher learning.
The ruling party reiterated the view, put forward by acting national police commissioner Khomotso Phahlane last week, that the #FeesMustFall movement had been hijacked by extraneous elements.
“The arrests of several individuals, who are not students, are a clear indication that these protests have been hijacked by sinister opportunistic elements and are no longer solely concerned with the very real dilemma of the cost of education.â€
– African News Agency (ANA)
