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Critical: British author Zadie Smith is guilty of ignorance, cynicism and racism in her essay titled Shibboleth, which appeared in The New Yorker this month, the writer says. Photo: David Levenson/Getty Images

Author’s views on student activism are sloppy and ignorant

In its apparent nothingness, Zadie Smith’s essay on student activism tells us about how genocide can be rationalised, writes Steve Salaita

University of KwaZulu-Natal. Photo: Supplied

Protesters set building alight at University of KwaZulu-Natal

Police are investigating a case of public violence after the William O’Brien building on the Pietermaritzburg campus was set on fire

Universities, the private sector and the government have still not fully addressed the exclusion of students who cannot afford a higher education. (John McCann/M&G)

Financial exclusion for many black students is a generational albatross

Universities, the private sector and the government have still not fully addressed the exclusion of students who cannot afford a higher education

Professors and students face off at UFS on how and why protests should happen

Students want to be heard and universities need peaceful protests. The University of Free State began discussions on how to bridge the divide

2 October 2021: Students send a clear message to the eSwatini government, which they say has reneged on promises to pay refunds and allowances.  (Nkosinathi Masuku)

Eswatini army brutalises students boycotting exams

Soldiers assaulted students of William Pitcher College in Manzini city who were protesting not being refunded fees paid for hostel facilities that were not used during lockdown

Much of the focus is on how technologies will change the world of work and education, but students are just as likely to use them for other objectives. If not regulated they can undermine upward mobility and the academic project. (Photo by Alberto Buzzola/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Cybersecurity, e-learning and the rise of online student protests

Much of the focus is on how technologies will change the world of work and education, but students are just as likely to use them for other objectives. If not regulated they can…

The things we lost in the fire

The fight for equality is valid but the burning down of our universities is not the revolution or decolonisation any of us should want

Listen to women and youth to enable recovery from the pandemic

Women in the personal services sector and young people have been hard hit by the pandemic in terms of employment, but they struggled even before Covid-19

Police brutality: Citizens are just as much to blame

Even though it is the officers who carry out the physical force, it is our prejudice that lays fertile ground for the abuse of power to entrench itself

Even when their brutality is caught on camera and shown on television, officers seem to walk away scot-free

What will it take for the police to stop killing our citizens?

Even when their brutality is caught on camera and shown on television, officers seem to walk away scot-free

Higher education minister Blade Nzimande, who was the first to make a presentation, asked to be excused straight afterwards, because he had another important meeting he needed to attend.

Portfolio committee on higher education criticises ministry for not taking it seriously

Neither the minister nor deputy minister stayed for the duration of an urgent committee meeting to discuss funding challenges for university students

CCTV footage used to nab Mthokozisi Ntumba’s alleged killers

The cops accused of killing Mthokozisi Ntumba during the Wits student protests last week will spend another week in custody as the NPA opposes bail

Students block Johannesburg roads in protest over university fees. Students took to the streets of Johannesburg early on Monday to continue their protests about fees as 26 universities across SA braced for a national shutdown. Students, countrywide, demonstrated demanding that those who are in debt be allowed to register and that historical debt be wiped out. (Photo by Ihsaan Haffejee/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Teargas, bleeding knees and burning tyres: A day in the protest for free higher education

Police shot at students who had been peacefully marching in the streets of Johannesburg during the first day of the national shutdown on Monday

Higher education shutdown looms as Nzimande scurries for funding solutions

Nzimande’s last-minute scramble to find funding for students has not stopped them from mobilising for a nationwide shutdown.

‘Why am I being shot?’ Witnesses describe last moments of man shot during Wits protests

The man was shot as police clashed with Wits students in Braamfontein. The protesters are demanding that no students be financially excluded

About 50 Wits students are blocking De Beer Street in Braamfontein, where a man was shot and killed by police during a student protest

Man killed by police during Wits student protest

About 50 Wits students are blocking De Beer Street in Braamfontein, where a man was shot and killed by police during a student protest

Last week a student protest at the University of Zululand led to a police van being petrol bombed.

Students, your violence destroyed a man’s livelihood

While life goes on for the students at UniZulu, may they spare a thought for Ndumiso Ntsele whose only sin was to try to make an honest living in tough economic times

The University of Fort Hare, pictured, and Mangosuthu University of Technology are among those
grappling with governance strain.

Save Fort Hare and stop with the theatrics

The university with its rich history is not only the pride of the Eastern Cape but of the continent. It needs to regain its glorious status in academia and not only be in the…

Tough talk: Wits vice-chancellor Adam Habib (centre), has faced a number of conflicts during his tenure and has had to make a number of decisions that were not popular. (Oupa Nkosi)

Habib leaves with no regrets about the decisions he made at Wits

The vice-chancellor announced he will be heading to SOAS next year

South Africans need to be better informed about democracy and become active citizens. (John McCann/M&G)

South Africans must choose a Third Way to survive and progress

A green economy is the fastest way to lift millions from poverty and unite them in a common cause