Statement by Bax Nodada MP – DASO West Constituency Leader:
The Democratic Alliance will be writing to the management of Nelson Mandela University (NMU) to request that it acts against students who took part in Friday’s disruption on the South Campus in Gqeberha.
These agitators are members of SASCO, the EFF and ActionSA and tried to prevent their fellow students from receiving assistance from the Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training, Yusuf Cassim, regarding issues such as NSFAS, bursaries, health, meal allowances and poor student accommodation. The Deputy Minister visited the university today to address genuine student challenges raised through his Helpdesk.
Deputy Minister Cassim and officials from the Department of Higher Education and Training, as well as several SETAs, visited to hear directly from students, engage with management, and bring together the relevant entities and sector partners to develop practical solutions that support the institution and students.
It is a sad indictment not only on these rabble-rousers but also on the university when a pre-confirmed visit by a Deputy Minister is refused by the institution after citing alleged security concerns. This turnabout was nothing more than an institution bending to the will of certain students playing political games. They have no care for others studying at the university.
I will be writing to university management to request an urgent meeting so that such an infringement of students’ rights to assistance is never repeated.
The students who led today’s chaos must be held accountable for their actions and face the consequences.
The Democratic Alliance Student Organisation (DASO) supports government intervention that sets a goal of assisting young people to complete their higher education. We will continue our fight to ensure that the university prioritises the well-being of students and that no student is left behind.
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