Let all sensible South Africans condemn the thuggery that we see in some of our institutions, says Blade Nzimande South African Communist Party (SACP) general-secretary Blade Nzimande has beseeched students not to destroy the country’s universities but instead to transform them and defend the country’s democratic heritage.Referring to the “chaos” at the country’s universities‚ Nzimande‚ who is also minister of higher education and training‚ said: “.. let all sensible South Africans condemn the thuggery that we see in some of our institutions.“Those throwing stones and burning libraries are nothing more than criminals. Let the rest of the students also take a firm stand and say: ‘No‚ not in our name’. “Nzimande‚ who made the remarks while delivering the Moses Mabhida Memorial lecture in Pietermaritzburg on Friday‚ added that he welcomed the stance being taken by magistrates to “lock up suspected thugs for seven days‚ until they appear in court”. “If you are arrested‚ incarcerated and convicted for destroying university property‚ you are not a hero‚ but a reactionary and counter-revolutionary‚” he asserted.Nzimande said he was also “deeply concerned” about the continuing disruptions at the Pietermaritzburg campus of the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) and urged both management and student leadership to find an urgent solution to this impasse.“To the students‚ in particular‚ I say‚ whilst you have a right to protest‚ but this right must not be abused and misused to risk the academic programme and academic year. Please‚ go back to class while you concentrate your efforts on negotiations with management. Otherwise destructive and violent protests‚ as well as the violation of the rights of other students‚ run the risk of completely discrediting whatever legitimate demands you may have.“I also wish to urge parents to stand up and help us deal with the current situation. Surely‚ it cannot be that parents simply send their children to public higher learning institutions and then fold their arms when academic careers and potential future of those students are exposed to threat‚” Nzimande stated.He said that for the 2017 academic year‚ government had gone further than it had ever done. “Accordingly‚ the state will absorb the fee increase of up to 8 percent for all students eligible for the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS)‚ over and above‚ paying all the fees for them. Moreover‚ the state will pay for fee increases of all the students who come from families with household income of up to R50‚000.“This would cover more than 70 percent of undergraduate students in our universities. It will also cover students in similar categories in our 50 Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges. In fact‚ in some of our universities like Zululand‚ Walter Sisulu and Limpopo‚ more than 90 percent of students will not pay any increase. This is going to benefit the children of nurses‚ teachers‚ police and many skilled workers who do not qualify for the NSFAS.“In addition‚ the government is far advanced in exploring and designing a loan system that will assist the ‘missing middle’‚ so that the children of the working class and the lower strata of the middle class who do not qualify for the NSFAS can get financial assistance and only pay them back once they are working‚” Nzimande said.Meanwhile‚ the Presidential Higher Education and Training Commission was hard at work exploring a lasting solution to the issue of student fees‚ he added.“Given the aforementioned progress‚ principles and work‚ I am of the view that there is absolutely no need for any‚ in particular‚ disruptive student protests. It could otherwise be concluded that some of the small student groupings that persistently seek to achieve disruption and destruction of learning progress‚ are now acting like hired agents of the bourgeoisie who want the state to pay for the rich.“Our democratic government’s commitment is free higher education for the poor‚ with reasonable measures to assist the ‘missing middle’ while those who can afford to pay – the rich and the well-off – must pay. The call for free higher education for all is not inherently a revolutionary call – it could as well be a reactionary stance that is inconsiderate of the objective conditions‚ in particular‚ to social relations of class inequality that we are yet to and must eliminate. What must happen after we have radically reduced or eradicated class inequality‚ must not be confused for what must happen towards successfully realising the goal‚” Nzimande said.TMG Digital..