The University of the Free State (UFS) played host to the South African Students Congress’ (SASCO) “Free Education” national campaign at the Rag Farm on 22 January 2010. The campaign managed to gather a rather scanty crowd, featuring SASCOs Progressive Youth Alliance (PYA) partners-Young Communist League (YCL); ANC youth League and the Congress of South African Students (COSAS)- as well as the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU). Mbulelo Mandlana, SASCO national president declared the meeting as a very important one for SASCO, as it provides the movement with a platform to tackle numerous issues that are currently plaguing the country as well as the UFS. He says “We want to put a spotlight on matters of transformation, and we deliberately want to draw the attention of society to the UFS.” “Transformation at this institution is just window-dressing because it has not moved an inch”, he says. Mandlana further utilised the podium to clearly express his lack of faith in the current president of SASCO UFS and president of the Students Representative Council (SRC), Moses Masitha, by stating that SASCO does not know what he represents. “We still need to engage him,” Mandlana continued. Upon being asked whether Mandlana was undermining his way of leadership, Masitha says “I don't think comrade Mandlana was undermining my way of leadership. I feel he was merely articulating a position about an individual he has never met nor engaged with [before]. Any normal human being would perhaps have said what he said. He is newly elected and I believe he will soon engage with the branch.”Julius Malema was undoubtedly the key speaker at the gathering, with with his speech delivery being reserved for last. However, he humbly proclaimed that the leader of SASCO should have been made the key speaker of the event because that is how the ANCYL usually does things. As he did in his 2009 visit to the UFS, Malema once again denounced the fact that the gathering was being hosted at the Rag Farm. He subsequently labelled the SRC members as being cowards for failing to organise an appropriate venue for the meeting and prompted them to lead a march that will see the gathered crowd being moved to a proper venue. “This is a university of the ANC; not the broederbond or the Freedom Front (FF+),” he declared. According to Masitha “There was a huge misunderstanding internally that led to us using the RAG Farm as the venue and many comments were made as a result of that.” “We will sort it out, we take full responsibility and I-as the man at the forefront-can not run away from that. I know that criticism has to hit me first before it hits anybody else. And I will be the first to take it and ensure that it doesn't hit others; that is the price I am prepared to pay as a leader,” says Masitha.
By Mpho Sekharume |