Cosatu commits to join students march for free education
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has reiterated its commitment to join the student march on October 14 to support the call for free education. Briefing reporters at Cosatu House in Johannesburg on Tuesday‚ the labour confederation's provincial secretary Dumisani Dakile said they would call on the government and business sector to come to the party. Nzimande puts R600 million price tag on fees protests, claims 'there is no reason to be protesting'The cost of destruction to property as a result of student unrest has reached R600 million‚ says Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande. "We will also be supporting the student call for free and compulsory education in South Africa. The current funding model does not help and assist the country to achieve a free and compulsory education in the country‚" said Dakile. Last week Friday‚ both Cosatu and the South African Communist Party's second Deputy General Secretary Solly Mapaila‚ received a memorandum from protesting Wits University students. The students marched to Cosatu House to voice their dissatisfaction with the tuition fee increases. "Education is a right and not a privilege that should be commercialised... The challenges in our country require a serious investment in the education system by both the state and the private sector as major beneficiaries of the system." Dakile said they would be targeting the Department of Finance and the Chamber of Commerce where they will submit draft tax amendments to finance minister Pravin Gordhan. "We think the minister of finance should take an opportunity in the mid-term speech to send clear signal to the country on practical steps to be taken to fund the education system which should begin in the 2017 academic year‚" he added. Cosatu called on all university students‚ lecturers and the progressive forces to join them in demanding free and compulsory education for all. Student protests against fee hikes have flared on campuses around the country‚ including at the University of KwaZulu-Natal‚ Tshwane University of Technology‚ University of Pretoria and the University of Cape Town...
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