It is ”distasteful” to tell students that toyi-toying does nothing to improve the country, the Young Communist League (YCL) said on Thursday.
It rejected as unfortunate recent remarks to this effect by Education Minister Naledi Pandor.
”The YCL views these remarks as nonsensical and distasteful simply because they are clearly directed to the working class and poor students who continue to be in the forefront against injustices meted on them by the ruling universities oligarchy,” the league said in a statement.
”We regard the remarks made by the minister … as extremely unfortunate.”
On Tuesday Pandor, speaking at the University of Zululand near Empangeni, said students should spend less than seven years passing their first year, and that improved toyi-toying skills will not improve the country.
She said: ”We haven’t come here to improve our toyi-toying skill. It doesn’t improve South Africa.”
African National Congress president Jacob Zuma was also present at the official opening when Pandor made her remarks.
The YCL said: ”Our country was liberated through toyi-toyi and we will continue under these new conditions to use toyi-toyi to advance and deepen our struggle.”
It said toyi-toying continued to play an important role in South Africa’s ongoing class struggles. — Sapa