Khutsong Crisis Committee felt betrayed by this government on hearing of the arrest of three University of Johannesburg students. “Its a complete negation of democracy”, said Terence Skhenjana, Chairperson of Khutsong Crisis Committee. “The arrest of students is not reasonable”, further adding, “as the organisation they forcefully defend and call for the release of those students before such arrests provoke the mass mobilisation and protests. The release should be unconditional and the students should be allowed back onto their campus. It should be imperative for police to understand their area of jurisdiction and undertand prosecution of crime.”
“It is clear that police are used as agents to defend corrupt officials for maintenance of their positions politically. We therefore, instruct the relevent authorities to withdraw police from learning institutions before second students massacre happens, like the Marikana massacre, when employees were addressing their right to a decent living wage,” he added.
He urged the students to rely on voting tactics in the coming local government elections for the advancement of free education. Quoting Mandela he said, “If the ANC does to you what the apartheid government did to you, you must do to ANC what you did with apartheid government.” “Vote them out!”, he said. Skhenjana, further added that the students remember that Mangaliso Sobukwe remarks that “If we are persecuted for our rights, remember that it is darkest before dawn. Biko also remarked that the powerful tool in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.”
Khutsong Crisis Committee support the demands of the students on:
- Free education for all
- Decolonised public institutions
- End outsourcing
- Living wages of workers and other demands listed by students.
