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Durban – Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande on Wednesday called on students to stop destroying property.
“Everything you have been gifted in terms of infrastructure is yours and for future generations. We must transform, but do not destroy in the process. You must stop the destruction of property.”
He was addressing about 150 students at an SA Students’ Congress (Sasco) policy conference in Durban.
Government understood students' concerns, but there was no justifying the use of violence.
The ANC and its alliance partners were faced with the influence of business interests, or corporate capture, he cautioned.
He gave an example of a student who mobilised his peers to protest against accommodation.
“We learnt that he was colluding with the owner of the apartments they wanted them to move to. People with money must not buy you. There are dangers of our organisation being bought by money people.”
End to factionalism
Nzimande denounced factionalism and called on students to place the interests of the organisation first.
“This is a real danger facing our movement. The ANC does not belong to leaders at a particular time. These are people’s movements. If you are a leader of Sasco, you don’t own Sasco. All you must do is commit to one thing: leaving the organisation better than when you found it.”
Nzimande added that many once successful organisations lost power because of factionalism.
