Open letter to Minister Nkabane: Urgent intervention needed in the university funding crisis

Dear Honourable Minister,

We write to you as students of Wits University, now on the 11th day of a hunger strike. Despite our continued pleas, we have not been granted an audience with the university council. Instead, through the university's communications arm, the institution vilifies our comrades and seeks to character-assassinate those fighting for a just cause rather than addressing concerns that could transform the development trajectory of our country for the better. Minister, the hunger strike is a direct response to the ongoing funding crisis that has left countless students unregistered, financially excluded, and unable to access their right to education. We have only one goal, and that is to see an end to the systemic exclusion of Black African students through financial barriers.

The situation at Wits is but a microcosm of the broader crisis facing higher education in South Africa. Year after year, students across the country are subjected to financial exclusion due to insufficient funding and other institutional barriers, notwithstanding the "missing middle" who have to parade their financial limitations only to be rejected by offices that are meant to assist them. This crisis not only affects individual students but also undermines the transformative vision of our democratic society.

The Freedom Charter, a foundational document of our democracy, explicitly states: "The doors of learning and culture shall be opened." Yet, in reality, thousands of students are being denied access to education due to financial constraints. The promise of free, decolonised, and accessible education remains unfulfilled, leaving many young South Africans in a cycle of poverty and exclusion.

While we acknowledge Wits University’s recent concession allowing undergraduate students with outstanding debt below R150,000 to register, this measure is insufficient. What about undergraduates who owe more than R150,000? What about postgraduates seeking to advance their education and master their fields? The reality at Wits is that it is not uncommon for students to accumulate debts exceeding R250,000 due to the high costs of tuition, accommodation, and meals. The burden of this debt falls disproportionately on poor Black students, leaving many unable to complete their studies.

This hunger strike has taken a severe toll on our health. One of the students who is part of the hunger strike is anaemic and required medical attention on the sixth day due to dangerously low sugar levels. Despite this, she refused hospitalisation, committed to seeing this struggle through. On the seventh day, another student on hunger strike was diagnosed by campus health with ulcers caused by prolonged hunger. We cannot continue to suffer in silence. We need urgent intervention.

Our Demands:

1.    A meeting with the university council to address our demand that all unregistered students be allowed to register, regardless of their outstanding debt.

2.    Direct intervention from the Minister to protect the rights and interests of poor Black African students who continue to face financial exclusion.

As Black African students, we are an integral part of this country's future. We should be afforded the same opportunities to develop our skills and contribute to society as others. Segregationist policies belong in the past, we cannot allow higher education to become a privilege reserved for the wealthy while already marginalised African students are left behind.

We urge you to intervene before the registration deadline on February 25, 2024. Time is running out, and the futures of many students hang in the balance.

We look forward to your response and, more importantly, to tangible action that ensures no student is left behind.

Sincerely,

Wits Students on Hunger Strike

Feziwe Ndawayana and Siviwe Mafuna