SA bleeds dry in the midst of fiery education protests

How are the two connected, you may wonder? Well, let’s start from the beginning.

There is, I am sure we all know, a hefty battle raging between students, universities and government over the price of education.

Our universities currently face serious challenges in terms of funding. At the same time‚ large numbers of South Africans are finding it difficult to access post-school education, because of the financial challenges they, as individuals or as families, face.

I am again writing about the tertiary education debacle because it affects all our young people and the future of this country, and even the future of this city.

I am also aware that there are plenty of arguments for and against free education. But, as you will soon see, I still lay the blame for the students’ plight on the government.

Violence has, of course, flared up since Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande recommended that universities and colleges increase fees by no more than eight per cent in 2017.

Nzimande also said the government would subsidise any increase for students with National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) loans and for students in the “missing middle”.

He explained the “missing middle” as those whose family income was less than R600 000 a year. The government would cover any increase up to eight per cent.

Well done government for this initiative, but of course students are still not happy over paying one cent, which is still an incorrect mindset. And so the #FeesMustFall movement that started last year again is on a rampage.

We have, therefore, established that there is a stalemate between government and students, but what about the parastatal?

It is simple – while free higher education is probably a pie in the sky dream, government, I believe, can do even more to help universities provide “cheaper” education.

After all, education is the key to our country’s prosperity.

Government keeps saying it is struggling to find the funds to help. Ah, but this is so because of apparent maladministration of parastatals, which have bled the treasury coffers dry.

An example in point is the South African Airways. The airline’s executives, led by embattled chairperson Dudu Myeni, recently received a lashing from MPs over its continued loss-making streak and vacant senior positions.

SAA has apparently notched up a staggering R5.6-billion in losses during the 2014/15 financial year.

Sure, there are arguments as to the accuracy of this sum (even one billion is a huge loss), and sure there are all kinds of excuses for the state of affairs, but the reality is that in any other company the CEO or director would have been fired long time ago if such a great financial loss was reported.

So, while our government is looking for billions to help educate our young people, one of its parastatals is bleeding billions, yet no real action is being taken. This makes no sense.

Why this is of concern, while SAA is allowed to forge ahead on a path of self-destruction, is because we, as taxpayers and the youth, ultimately suffer the consequences.

Then you have the story of Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille’s five international trips in five months of this year, that will cost ratepayers R2.2-million.

This is five times as much as she spent in the whole of the last financial year, when travel costs for her and her delegations amounted only to R409 015. Excuse me, R2.2-m for five trips?

What is the point I’m making? I still believe there is more than enough money in this country to help make education more affordable and to prevent violence, but money keeps on recklessly and with maddening regularity, being poured down the drain.

Yes, one can understand government’s dilemma of free education and the students’ demands, but the real issue boils down to a lack of political will to make it happen, which will include tackling the parastatal’s sorry state of affairs.

More than enough funds will become ”available” if the parastatal gets its house in order and if ministers, premiers and mayors stop spending millions on cars, trips and parties.

While we cannot in any way support the violence shown by the youth, I think government’s lack of action in terms of enforcing discipline to cut costs is even more deplorable.

Government needs to get its house in order, lest our entire economy nosedives, like the SAA and our education system.