Nzimande: A train coming if no clarity is provided on free education
The South African Communist Party (SACP) general secretary Blade Nzimande says clarity is needed on President Jacob Zuma’s announcement of free tertiary education.
Nzimande was speaking at the Joe Slovo commemoration in Soweto on Saturday.
The former Minister of Higher Education said while the SACP is not opposed to the provision of free tertiary education for poor and working-class students, there is no indication where the money would be coming from.
"It is very important the announcement made by Zuma must be clarified as a matter of urgency. If we don’t handle this correctly, a train is coming.
"Can we afford free higher education, as announced on the 16th of December, and at the same time have a nuclear deal? Can we do these things? Where is this money going to come from?
"We want to say now as the SACP we are not going to allow the increase of VAT to fund this higher education or allow fees to be taken from UIF or PIC to fund it," he said.
Nzimande said a hike in VAT would essentially mean that the poor are funding their children’s higher education out of their own pockets.