Must Fall vs the Won't Change

This is a message for every activist, teacher and student involved in the issues of South Africa's University shutdowns of the last year or so. We have been looking at this issue from all angles and we now have quite a few nodes of data that are to strong to deny nor keep silent. We will go through these nodes intuitively and naturally. We will not force too much structure on this letter, as this letter is heartfelt and is simply meant to make you, the Reader, aware.

Let us first look at RMF (Rhodes Must Fall) and it's follower, FMF (Fees Must Fall). Any one who has been looking at South African politics has noticed that these movements are taking place mostly in our institutions of higher learning. The battle is to not only decolonise our institutions and let African voices and systems have room to flourish, but also to de-capitalise these institutions and make education more affordable for all.
There have been meetings between the leaders of these protest movements and some secret meetings on both sides. The institutions of higher learning have quite a few times been ground to a standstill during campus shut-downs, as they have been called. The Rhodes Must Fall movement has fed other protest movements in the country and also around the world, to the extent that Cambridge was involved in some  degree last year. We do not have any solid information about their involvement now.


We have a few things to ask, though. To both sides of this battle. When will it end? Who will end it? If both sides are truly sincere, why so much in-fighting rather than direct, honest conversations about the issues at hand? It seems like the universities are still trying to keep some modicum of power when clearly, the more they struggle, the more the students and activists fight back.
Why are we fighting in the first place? Maybe because the institutions of higher learning are not authentic...Maybe because the creative bone in us has been filed so fine it cannot pierce through the thick hide of the system. Now has been a time to sharpen our tools and face these threats to a truly decolonized country.

Some people wonder why this decolonisation battle manifests its self in our universities. We wonder why it hasn't manifested in our parliaments and constitutional courts sooner. Did it have to take students throwing shit at statues, defacing of university property, fires, violence and occupation of property? It seems that it did, because when we wrote academic papers in the early 2000s, about delinking our economies from institutions of higher learning from colonial and capitalist links, no one listened. When the Economic Freedom Fighters came online and started shaking the foundations of ANC polity, people were laughing at Julius Malema and his followers. Even Black First Land first seems very legal, academically smart and patient. But these movements were all signs that there is a deep dissatisfaction among the (mostly) Black population. That our high schools are in terrible condition. That our universities are run by racists or cronies of racists. That there has been no true transformation in South Africa. That the agenda has always been on the side of the White population even though the leaders of this nation seem to be predominantly Black. But let's back up from the race issue, a little. Even though it is so central.


Let's talk about sincerity. If the South African truly wanted to unify this country, we would not still have racist attacks at our universities. The reports of racism in Stellenbosch University have been so many, I almost didn't know where to start. But here's a start.

"They think all black people are stupid and they will treat you that way. The professors I worked with were racist and incompetent. One of them even went out of his way to try to destroy my reputation with my references after I started standing up for myself.
Insults were the norm.
Stay far far away from Stellenbosch if you're planning to study abroad and if you want a quality education! There are plenty of other schools that are much higher ranked - and more importantly - recognized internationally. Don't study at Stellenbosch!"

That was a review on Tripadvisor, a website, on Stellenbosch U. But if that seems too one-sided for you, watch this and make up your mind.  And then there was the University of Free State racial humiliation video. (Note how the signage is still in Afrikaans even though the staff is all Black African) If you can stomach it, it's here. South Africa was about to forget. But the youth won't be so easilly silenced.

Are our leaders truly sincere about ending racism and colonial intervention and tendencies in our country? We don't think so. Because if they were, the violence would have stopped a long time ago. These university shut-downs would not be happening. Because we would be engaging with the system effectively and directly. But we are here. WE have twitter pages loaded with the voices that show that this isn't a localized phenomenon. All of South Africa knows that something wasn't faced, in 1990 and to this day. And now it's staring at us point blank. all that violence and dissatisfaction that was never truly given a channel to run and purge its self is now here. It took over 2 generations to reach this point. And now people fear a civil war. Not likely, South Africa. And the CIA and FBI can back the fuck off our mineral resources and politics. Because some of us aren't blind to the fact that during chaos and upheaval, someone (the USA and Her Majesty's United Kingdom) always tries to cash in on it.

While, at University of Cape town, almost a year after the Rhodes statue fell, the battle is still hot. The issue never died. The media just shifted their focus and most pretended like things were fine. Academics continued and nothing burned for a while. But it was all a false lull.  Here is a recent collection of photos from very exclusive meetings which were discussing issues everyone needed to hear about.

"RMF and other Last Respondents disrupt yesterday's "Transformation Dialogue" set up by UCT senior management, to discuss private security and police presence on campus.
What does it mean to have this "dialogue" whilst many of the black students who originally raised these issues are still suspended, interdicted and excluded?
What does it mean to have this "dialogue" well after management has made the decision to allow private security and police onto campus and the damage has already been done? Why were only certain Black "stakeholders" invited to take part (Black Academic Caucus, worker representatives, SRC president and RMF)? Was this merely an exercise in ticking boxes before proceeding with things as planned?

RMF and the rest of the house agreed that the conversation cannot continue until such time as all the interdicted and suspended students are back, and when it does happen it will be in public and not in a boardroom."
Photo credit: Wandile Kasibe

There is a long way to go, and if our chancellors, ministers and other parties actually mean to build a better South Africa, such exclusions and private meetings aren't gonna help anyone. While University of Free State students can stomp on Black people, feed them urine-tainted food and pretty much get away scott-free. we will not get to the change we want to see. We need actual commitment from the decision-makers who have been given this authority. otherwise, people will get sick of waiting for change, and things like this happen.

Video 1. 

Video 2

Video 3

So we must check our selves. Our leaders must check their selves. Because we don't want civil war or rubber bullets from police. no one wants violence in their home. And this country is our home. every inch of this planet as well. The way of doing things with elitist exclusivity will not stand any longer. The racist's days are numbered. Our institutions will one day be truly inclusive places of higher learning. And we don't want another 1976 event.  This place needs us to think and work together. United we stand...and all that.