Whether you are in the West Rand township of Westbury, Tembisa on the East, Parktown, Soweto, Braamfontein, KwaZulu-Natal or in the Western Cape, you are not insulated from the impact of a burning South Africa.
If it is not varsity students thrashing the city – throwing stones at law-enforcement officers, damaging campus facilities or marching to Wits University vice-chancellor Prof Zeblon Vilakazi’s home in Park Town – it is protesting members of the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu).
Those of us who come from a working-class background can understand the plight of students coming from poor families – a catalyst behind the demand for the university to allow those owing R150 000 or less to register for the 2023 academic year.
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Did it have to take the trashing of streets, university facilities and a march to Vilakazi’s home, with a threat to burn it, to be heard?
Vilakazi has shown not to be unreasonable, having expressed a willingness to sit down with the students and come up with a solution. This is progress. Having observed a sustainable negotiation process here at home and elsewhere, trust and honesty are at the core of any talks, which require a give and take from both sides.
Fisk University, with a history of activism in the United States, is a case study. The story goes that in 1925, Fisk president Fayette McKenzie restricted many student activities, including discontinuing the school newspaper, cutting most extracurriculars and putting restrictions on interactions between male and female students.
ALSO READ: SA’s violent protests: ‘People are suffocating and we’ll soon have anarchy’
McKenzie was also seeking endowments from foundations that didn’t want students to challenge Jim Crow laws.
The legendary WEB du Bois, who had attended Fisk, gave a speech on campus, criticising McKenzie. Students and alumni began demanding changes, which McKenzie initially agreed to, but then he backtracked.
Turning the tide on “agitators” did not help because more demonstrations and a boycott of the school followed – leading to McKenzie resigning. A case study on dealing with a student crisis.
Equally, health workers – largely members of Nehawu – have gone on a countrywide strike, crippling much-needed public services: ambulances, doctors, nurses and supporting staff, who have been unable to attend to the sick.
ALSO READ: Students threaten to ‘burn down’ Wits VC’s home if demands not met
Incidents seen this week have been shocking – the suffering and death of patients – with some hospital entrances blocked by burning tyres. Disruption of essential services and damage to property are a mark of lawlessness and chaos.
Health workers, fighting against a government that has reneged on a public wage promise, have made their point. Now, it is time for a ceasefire, cool heads and negotiations. Again, trust and honesty is key – not unreasonable demands by the union and not overpromising by government.
Remember, when two bulls fight, the grass suffers. Given our history of protest against apartheid, the ANC is faced with a challenge of instilling political education on its members, supporters and alliance partners – violence was only meant to cripple racism.
Instead of being a governing party in denial about the impact of past methods, the ANC should face violent protests head-on. Sanusha Naidu of the Institute for Global Dialogue said protests were always part of the anti-apartheid architecture.
ALSO READ: Human Rights Commission disappointed by violence used as ‘message’ during protests
From the ’80s ANC slogan of “rendering the country ungovernable”, the party has failed to make a transformation. From the ’70s to the ’80s, our townships have been burning – but the dilemma for the ANC has been that of not earning the title of leader of society
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