As a student in my third year at the University of Witwatersrand who’s currently interning at a well-known media publication, the #Feesmustfall movement has had its pros and cons. Having participated last year, I decided that #FMF would miss me this time around so that I could focus on my job and my academics.
Don’t get me wrong, I agree with the movement…to a certain extent. I think it’s rather sad that in 2016, 20 something years post-apartheid, black students (and yes, I say black because let’s face it, most kids marching those streets are indeed of the melanin nature) have been placed in a situation where fighting for education has become a very real thing. It doesn’t make sense to me that we’re fighting a battle that was fought years ago to prevent the current situation we are faced with.
I think my biggest concern regarding everything is that regardless of me actually being out there on the streets or in the office typing away, the general safety for students was at risk. Not knowing if there would be class today and if there was, would we be safe? It’s no secret that the overwhelming police presence on campus definitely caused an uproar from parents, students and lecturers. Knowing that you could wake up and get ready for class with the intention of just getting through the day and ending up with a gunshot wound or even worse…It’s definitely not the best thought to have before shut-eye the night before.
It’s always a beautiful thing to see people stand together in solidarity when staring adversity right in the face but once all is said and done, I have to ask: is it worth it? Is this campaign even going anywhere? People have died and many more injured. The government does not seem to be budging in terms of meeting the demands made by students. It’s a noble cause but it’s all ended in a mess. I also can’t help but wonder what will happen to us students and our academics? 5/6 week of no lectures is a significant amount of time!
I suppose there is a little truth in the saying ‘the road to hell is paved with good intentions’ but how many more students have to endure injuries or even die before anything is done?
Words by Mawatle Mpuru