'Our parents were sold a dream in 1994'
This was the rallying cry as students marched through the Durban city centre to the ANC offices. (VIDEO)
|||Durban - Thousands of students converged on the African National Congress’s regional offices in Durban on Friday.
Starting early in the morning, students from the city’s various tertiary institutions began gathering at the Durban University of Technology’s Steve Biko campus.
An estimated 6000 students marched through the city centre, stopping at the Durban City Hall, before heading on to the ANC offices in Stalwart Similane street where a memorandum was handed over to party officials.
At the city hall there was much singing and dancing. Students carried a variety of placards that read “The power of the people is stronger than the people in power!”, “The revolution is on!”, “Fees must fall, Blade must fall”, and “Our parents were sold a dream in 1994; We’re here for a refund”.
Handing over the memorandum to Bheki Ntuli, a member of the ANC’s provincial executive committee, student leader Nash Khumalo said: “We are not here to fight any one. Education must be a right not a privilege.”
There was a heavy police presence throughout the march. Police spokesman Major Thulani Zwane said that there were no incidents of violence reported and that after the march students slowly dispersed.
Speaking in the ANC offices after receiving the memorandum, Ntuli said: “We understand that their plight is not being addressed. The students have been able to talk to us. They know the ruling party can have the answers.”
He said the ANC was not concerned that the protests would affect the party’s showing in next year’s local government elections.
“They are using the same tools [of protesting] we have used,” Ntuli said.
He said he appreciated that students had marched peacefully, adding he would forward their complaints to the national office of the ruling party.
African News Agency
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