NYDA warns it will 'viciously attack' those who undermine free education

The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) warned on Sunday that it will “viciously attack” those who continue to undermine and question the provision of free education in South Africa.

At the same time‚ it cautioned against “populist and reckless calls by some opposition leaders that encourages students to barge into universities without due process”.

In a statement‚ NYDA executive chairperson Sifiso Mtsweni‚ said the agency had continuously advised President Jacob Zuma to reject the Heher Commission report and introduce free education in the country “and we are happy that the President has listened to us”.

“Anybody who continues to undermine this great achievement either hates this country or its youth‚ we wish to caution them that the youth of this country won’t smile forever while an onslaught is launched on them.

“We have seen thousands of students in 2015 under the Fees Must Fall campaign and every year‚ those who continue to undermine our call for free education will be visited by the same scenes very soon‚” Mtsweni said. “We also wish to caution against populist and reckless calls by some opposition leaders that encourages students to barge into universities without due process.

“We call on all young people to visit our offices which are now full Wi-Fi access areas and use those facilities to make online application. The universities which allow for late applications must be visited to ensure that students who have not yet applied get an opportunity to do so.

“We also encourage vice chancellors to desist from playing politics and do what they are supposed to do‚ which is ensuring that universities dispense quality education for our people.”

Mtsweni said the NYDA would be at all universities across the country‚ starting in the Eastern Cape‚ to ensure that registration went smoothly and that those who qualified for free education were registered with “no hesitation and that they experience the great work of our government”.

“We will viciously attack those who continue to undermine and question the provision of free education in this country‚ we declare here for everybody to know‚” he added. The NYDA would also embark on a back-to-school campaign that would ensure it assisted schools to be ready to accept learners.