A campaign of violent disruption mounted by rejected would-be teachers has brought teacher training in the Northern Transvaal to its knees.
Over the past five months, the Ngoako Ramalepe and Mokopane colleges have been forced to close and their students attacked, as organisations calling themselves the Non-Admitted Students Congress (Nasco) and the Non- Admitted National Students Union (Nanon) tried to force rectors to admit them.
In March, Nansu members raided the Ngoako residence, stabbing 18 student teachers. Using the slogan “Nansu by night”, dissidents mounted nightly raids on the college residence. At Mokopane, Nasco members forced their way on to the campus every day over a five-month period, disrupting classes, assaulting students and barring their access.
Nasco leader Rufus Seyakamela was stabbed and beaten to death on May 19, when trainee teachers at Mokopane hit back. Last week education at the colleges hesitantly restarted. Only a heavy police presence at Mokopane prevented further disruption by Nasco demonstrators.
The conflict at Mokopane was sparked in January when 3 000 students gathered for registration, but only 350 were admitted. Rallying behind the slogan “Admit one, admit one child of the soil”, youths from Mahwelereng township, near Potgietersrus. organised themselves into Nasco and tried to force the college rector to admit them.
They said children from the township, which borders the college, should receive priority over other applicants. When the rector told the dissidents that further admissions would be over his dead hody”, disruption followed. “They would come into classes and tell people to get out of class,” said SRC president Aubrey Kolwane.
Nasco members denied entry to the campus by police began harassing students who rented accommodation in the township. According to Kolwane. he and other SRC members were blamed for the presence of police. “My vice-president was badly beaten up and he resigned”.
Recommendations by a committee, representing Nasco, students, lecturers, civics and political parties that a further 128 students be admitted was rejected by the rector, who feared they would be the thin end of the wedge. Conflict came to a head on May 19, when students decided at a meeting to defend themselves.
When Nasco members forced their way past a police contingent at the gate and made their way to the classes, students fell on them and their leader, Seyakamelo, killing him. The campus was closed for two weeks. “Some of us have been identified as being responsible the death of comrade Rufus, so we don’t feel we can go to the township,” said Kolwane.
Frans, a core member of Nasco who declined to give his surname, blamed the SRC and the students at the hostel for Seyakamelo’s death. “They are also selfish, they will not talk to the rector for us because they are already in the college,” he said. The campaign would continue until all rejected students were admitted, he said.
The South African Students Congress chairman in the region, Joyce Moloi, fears that worse may follow if the regional ministry of education does not act urgently. Other Northern Transvaal educational institutions also suffer from the “Nansu syndrome”, said sources.
At Mamokgala Kechunene and Sekhukhuni teacher training colleges, administrators are under similar pressure to give preference to local students. And, according to Moloi, students rejected by other institutions come to the University of the North as late as March, expecting to be admitted.
Northern Transvaal Premier Ngoako Ramathlodi believes the problems flow from the political role youths have played in the region. “People begin to believe that they must enter institutions even if they do not qualify,” he said, adding scarce resources in the region had led to frustration.
“You start at Sub A and come out at matric. Some don’t make it and some come out bruised at the other end. What we have to do is change that structure so that students have an outlet, so that a children can be developed to the best of their ability.”