EFFSC: Walk-in call not meant to cause violence or anarchy
The president of the Economic Freedom Fighters Student Command (EFFSC) Phuti Keetse says all learners who have passed Grade 12 must report to institutes of higher learning tomorrow.
The EFFSC briefed the media in Johannesburg on Thursday amid plans by government to implement free higher education for poor and working class students.
President Jacob Zuma made the announcement in December.
Keetse says if walk-ins are not allowed then nobody will be allowed access to campus.
“The intention is not to go there and incite violence. I think that must be clear.”
Universities around the country have responded to the EFFSC’s call by saying no walk-ins are allowed and that prospective students must my use of the online application system.
Keetse says this excludes a vast number of people who do not have access to the internet.
“When we speak about walk-ins we really mean it and we really mean that we all enter. If I want to do engineering I am going to the department of engineering. And it ends there. I must be rejected there or taken there.
“I am not going to stand at the gate and no-one will stand at the gate. If the universities do not want to allow the walk-ins then it means there must be no-one that enters that campus. Including the staff, security and cleaners. No-one must have access to campus until we have access with our people.
The EFFSC doesn’t believe the call for walk-ins raises the possibility of a repeat of the incident at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) in 2012, when a stampede led to the death of a woman.
“The stampede at UJ happened because of poor management, poor security and they were not organised. And there was no-one willing to take charge of that particular process.
Keetse gave an assurance that members of the SRC and EFFSC would be on the ground to ensure the safety of staff and potential students.