Former president Nelson Mandela condemned ”in the strongest terms” on Tuesday the behaviour of the Congress of South African Students’ (Cosas) during a protest march in Johannesburg last Friday.
Mandela, answering questions at his offices in Johannesburg after being given the Duma Nokwe human rights award, said it was unfortunate that people who were meant to be South Africa’s future leaders had behaved like Cosas did.
”They went on a rampage and destroyed property belonging to hawkers, they had no reason to behave like this,” Mandela said.
”I agree with the ANC Youth League’s condemnation of their behaviour.”
The march on Friday last week was marked by looting, theft and general chaos, and there was doubt as to whether permission had been obtained. No official permit was issued and police were not prepared.
The route was not adequately planned and groups were split up. In another incident in March last year, about 10 000 students went on a rampage in central Johannesburg. Two people were arrested when the protesters trashed and looted hawkers’ stands. The march was convened by Cosas and the SA Students Congress (Sasco).
The Cosas march was meant to highlight its demand that all levels of school education be free to all South Africans from 2003, that history be a compulsory high school subject and that an education department circular ordering that school gates be locked from 8am to 3pm be scrapped.
Cosas leaders reacted angrily to a statement from the Gauteng education department on Saturday that it would take immediate steps to discipline the leaders of Cosas.
They warned the department that if their leaders were suspended from schools they would embark on a nationwide school stayaway.
The department said it would suspend the entire Cosas leadership from attending public schools until they had adequately responded to the allegations and incidents surrounding their march.
Ten members of the Cosas executive committee are still attending schools in Gauteng, the majority of them in matric.
Cosas president general Julius Malema said: ”If there is no alternative then we will ask for a school stayaway. We cannot force people to stay away from school, that is not how we operate, but we will let them know what has happened and they will support us.
”How can we be held responsible for a few who misbehaved when there is no proof that those hooligans were even part of our organisation. We are being victimised.”
Malema said that a member of the Cosas executive had applied for a permit and had been told verbally that the permit had been approved.
”When we arrived to march, the police did not turn us away. There were problems and I stand by my statement that we will take responsibility for any misbehaviour. We will pay for damages if there is proof that it was our members who did it. But there have been no cases reported at the police station and no complaints at our offices.
”We even set up our own team to investigate any incidents but no-one has come forward. We are still waiting.”
Malema said that it was clear that more planning and discipline was needed for marches of this kind in future.
”We will be looking at appointing more marshals and we will have to plan our routes and get our permits in writing in advance to avoid confusion. The police must also do their job.” – Sapa