Ngwako Modjadji
It has taken five years for tertiary student organisations across South Africa to discuss and prepare to launch a national federation to unite students and their organisations.
But now politics is threatening to derail the plans.
The Pan African Students’ Movement Association (Pasma) and the Azanian Student Congress (Azasco) say the National Student Federation, that is due to be in launched in December, is unlikely to address student issues because it has been championed by the South African Student Congress (Sasco).
Azasco president Mbulelo Nziweni says his organisation is sceptical about the federation because the African National Congress has de-politicised students through its links with Sasco. “In principle Azasco sees the need to have a federation that will unite students, but this organisation is not going to function.”
Over the past few years political student organisations have constantly lost support during campus elections across the country. Students say these organisations spend more time organising cars, cellphones and parties for themselves than addressing student issues.
The National Student Federation is expected to represent all student representatives councils (SRC) at technikons and universities. Its launch was delayed last year when student political organisations began questioning their role in the new federation and whether the existing national SRCs would be dissolved.
Wits University SRC president Isaac Moroeng said: “The federation is a waste of time and an act of political survival for student political parties.” Moroeng said there is incompetence among the SRC leadership because most of them are not trained when they are elected into the office.
“It is a brilliant idea to have a federation, but unfortunately we don’t have the manpower to do it. An SRC is immensely powerful if it functions properly and if a level of professionalism is introduced.”
The Department of Education last year offered support for the federation launch through its governance capacity building project.
But, the launch is “a matter that should be addressed by student organisations, and any delays are on their part”, said a representative for the department.
Before 1994 SRCs at black universities spent most of their resources and energies on campaigns against apartheid education, and were thus highly politicised structures.
With the advent of democracy, student bodies started to focus on issues such as access to education, curriculum transformation and development and addressing the social disparities caused by the National Party government.
Many student bodies argued that the education that was being offered by historically black institutions was irrelevant to the social development needs of South Africa and not up to the required standard. SRCs at various institutions agreed to work together with the government to help transform the education system.
If it is launched the federation will unify students across race and sex; represent South African students internationally; improve the quality of education in the country and provide developmental programmes through capacity building.
Last year a sub-committee that was appointed to oversee the launch of the federation fell apart because its members either graduated or disappeared.
Zola Sapeta, secretariat convenor for the federation, says the major reason for the delay of the launch is the objections from student political organisations. But he says it will be launched in December and government will have an obligation to fund it.
Asked if the federation was going to be a “gravy train”, Sapeta said government has set up the Public Management Financial Act to ensure that public officials account for any misuse of funds.