Traffic came to a standstill on Friday, when MKYL members painted the City of Tshwane green by marching peacefully to the department of higher education and training to deliver a memorandum of demand to the department.
More than 100 MKYL members joined by students and MK structures hold placards and singing revolutionary songs and dancing in the capital city.
They are demanding Minister of higher education and training Dr Blade Nzimande to step down in 7 days and failure to do so they will shut down campuses across South Africa.
They are also calling on the scrapping of Izaga system.
They are calling of Student political bodies to join and fight the struggle because it affects everyone no matter the political party.
Chief Director at department of higher education and training Reineth Mgiba received a memorandum, sign it and promised to response.
Speaking to Gauteng MKYL Provincial Coordinator Philani Gazuzu Nduli told the Tshwane Talks that this march has been provoked by the conditions that are affecting the students at the campuses.
There are number of institutions that are affecting young people in the institutions of high learning.
We took it upon our self to raise these issues, because everyone seems to be quiet about this.
The students have not been able to register in their numbers most of them are still at home as we speak some are here in the Pretoria roaming around sleeping in the lecture halls or toilets because Universities are refusing students to register because National Student Financial Aids Scheme has not settle the balances of previous academic year.
The universities are refusing students to register until those balances are settled. The year has begun, some students have already started classes.
“It cannot be business as normal when there is a crisis because it is a crisis that we are facing.
We are calling on minister to step down because he has dismally failed in his duty as a minister and calling on all Student political bodies to join and fight the struggle because it affects everyone no matter the political party,” said Nduli.
He said Minister Nzimande is implicated we just don’t have a way to prove it.
There is evidence of minister committing corruption together with CEO of NSFAS whereby they looted millions of moneys of students last year through the displacement of allowances.
CEO of NSFAS has resigned but minister is refusing to resign. We are here to call on him to resign he has been a minister for far too long from 2009 until today.
The National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) introduced a new payment distribution system, which charges 15% more than commercial banks, this system is facilitated through a company called Izaga that received backlash from students and student representative organizations.
There are brilliant and qualify young people who can take over the position and who understand the plight of the students.
“We demand free education which President Zuma declared independence in 2017 which we feel is being reversed. There is no way that money can be looted in his department without him not knowing,” he said.
MKYL Deputy Presidents Thapelo Maisha addressing the students outside the department of higher education and training said we know MKYL Presidents Bonginkosi Khanyile and we were with him when he fought for free education.
“Our president was arrested for free; quality education and we are ready as young people to go to prison and we are ready to be sentence for free quality education,” said MKYL deputy president Maisha.
He said we are saying to Minister Nzimande that MK will be in governance and MK will win election and we will run the country.
We must continue to be the voice of the voiceless, revolution is not easy and revolution is not just an apple which can fall we must make it fall ourselves.
“The problem in South Africa is the system; the system is against black people.
This is the system of Blade Nzimande and his friends and we will fight for every black marginalize black people in South Africa,” he said.
Maisha is calling on all MKYL to go out there to every University, TVET colleges and mobilise every young person.
If they don’t response we will come here with masses. Young black people are struggling they are unemployed drinking alchahol day and night.
He also warn youth league that if they are not discipline in this organisation they will be expel and there is no mercy for them and will be suspended immediately.
There must not be pararel structures and its only MK and MKYL.
“We are calling on Izaga to be scrap and minister Nzimande to step down as he has fail the students of South Africa.
Students across campuses are facing funding issues and all campuses there is crisis and it can’t go on like this and there won’t be normal at campuses while other students are left in the cold,” said Tshwane university of Technology student and MKYL Tshwane region coordinator Siphesihle Tango.
Chief Director at department of higher education and training Reineth Mgiba said he has been asked to accept the memorandum and he heard all the issues in the memorandum.
He assured students that many of the issues covered in their memorandum are actually on the redder of the department.
“The department through the Minister and DG including the deputy Minister are hard at work engaging our institutions, engaging NFSA with the view of finding the resolution in these issues.
We are also engaging with the students formations in our institutions,” said Mgiba.
He said we hope and believe that coming in the department will be part of the solution in working together to resolve many institutions.
He commit that the Minister and DG are going to give a written response within the stipulated time.