SA President Agrees to Meet Student Leaders at Union Buildings

South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma will meet with the management and leadership of universities – as well as student leaders – on Friday, 23 October 2015, to discuss what the Presidency calls “the stalemate with regards to university fee increases”.

In a statement this morning, the Presidency announced that Zuma will hold consultative meetings with the Vice-Chancellors and Chairpersons of Councils as well as with student leaders at the Union Buildings in Pretoria “with a view to finding a solution to the impasse”.

President Zuma said this morning that: “It is important that we work together to find solutions. Nobody disagrees with the message that students from poor households are facing financial difficulties and possible exclusion.”

The statement made no mention of the president’s silence yesterday when the #WitsFeesMustFall campus protests evolved into #NationalShutDown and a clash between police and protesters outside Parliament in Cape Town.

The president did meet earlier this month, 6 October, with Vice-Chancellors and Chairpersons of Councils to establish a task team to explore solutions for short-term student funding challenges,

“Even in the January 8 statement of the governing party this year, we stated that the escalating cost of university education had become another source of exclusion for the poor and vulnerable South African child.

“All parties should allow space for this matter to be discussed in a manner that will enable us to find a solution,” said the President.

A separate #FeesMustFall #NationalShutDown march of 10,000 students is planned tomorrow morning from Burgers Park to the Union Buildings.