Students march to Union Buildings: ‘Voetsek NSFAS, fix your sh*t!

‘Voetsek and fix your sh*t” was among the many posters students held aloft as they marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria and the department of higher education yesterday.

Thousands of students from Johannesburg, Pretoria and Limpopo marched in Pretoria against the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), with placards calling for free, quality, decolonised education for all and for Minister of Higher Education Blade Nzimande to fall.

The protest against Nsfas turned violent after a group of students was allegedly arrested and police dispersed a large group who had allegedly started burning tyres in front of the department’s offices.

“If we die today, let it be. EFFSC [Economic Freedom Fighters Student Command University of Pretoria] commanders are ready to die” and “You reject us, and defund us, why do you kill our dreams”, were two of the messages on the posters.

A student, Nicholas Lutz, said people preached about equality without taking action. “Those actions start here.

Hopefully, people will become aware of this and join in for other people’s rights. Everyone has the right to a good education. It’s basic stuff,” he said.

Lutz said he drove from Johannesburg to support the march because he had seen his peers struggle to get to university.

Kiki Munaki, another student, said she had friends who were Nsfas beneficiaries whom she had watched suffer due to a lack of funding.

“We offered to help two of our friends with accommodation, because Nsfas cannot accommodate them, rather than leaving them to sleep on campus.”

Munaki said she joined the march in support of her peers.

“It comes down to the point where some of our friends don’t have money to buy food and then we help them,” she said.

Munaki said it was sad seeing students struggle in this day and age.

“Over the years, the majority of people protesting were black. Today, we have Indians, coloureds and whites joining us. We are the revolution and we are going to get something done,” she said.

ActionSA University of Pretoria former student chair and youth leader Angela Monaheng said: “Whether they change the system or not, it doesn’t change the fact that they are not consistent with funding the students.”

Monaheng said it was the department’s responsibility to ensure students were paid.

“A student not getting payment affects their accommodation and ability to eat,” she said.

Democratic Alliance Student Organisation UP chair Albert Retied said he was there to support students who have been defunded.

“I have people in my executive who were defunded by Nsfas and after appealing the decision, they were refunded. But they have still not got their allowances or accommodation paid,” he said.

Retied said the accommodation providers were telling students to pay up or get out.

“That’s not a constructive environment to study and live in. Some allowances have not been paid since the beginning of the year,” he said.