Stellenbosch University, change yourself first!

On September 21 2010,  13h00, concerned members of the student community of Stellenbosch University populated room 1028 of the GC Cilliers building for a meeting to discuss proposed 12-15% increase in student fees for 2011. Those that are well vested in the science of mathematics informed me that the increase means that one would probably have to pay an additional R 3 000.00 on their tuition fees and an additional R 3 000.00 on residence fees. The meeting was to ‘discuss’ but the ‘untranformed’ management representatives turned it into a meeting to inform the students. All of their presentations both verbal and non verbal (powerpoint presentations) were done in Afrikaans. As such, I thought the increament was only for those that speak in Afrikaans. I am was to discover later that it was indeed for everyone. Brief mention must be made that the SRC did make attempts for translation albeit insufficient devices. We had to rely on the translation of those that understand Afrikaans. The point here is that if the management representatives were transformed, they could have made slides in both Languages as was done by the SRC.

Upon my intervention and that of the colleaque, the Progressive SRC Chairperson, Cde. Jan Greyling came to our rescue and directed that management try to answer questions in English. In demostrating progressive revolutional leadership and to the suprise of many , Cde Jan Grying was able to answer the question asked in Zulu by a colleaque who also felt excluded. In their graphic and figures presentations, management failed dismally in justifying the increase. In fact they exhibited intellectaul laziness by just reaching out to an orthodix method of gaining income (increasing student). They have showed to us that other sources of income is only 3% hence indicating that management is doing little in generating income is indicated by the ‘other sources of income’. If really faced with difficulty, one could never resort to a ‘shock therapy’ situation of effecting pain at the same time but could gradually effecting pain to avoid students and paraents pocket to loose too much blood. I cannot be sure if management sought an intellectual opinion from our financial Academics or they are from ‘we know it all’ orthodox.

I need not  mention the amount of money invested in our ‘believe’ project, there you can draw your own conclusion. Project Hope of changing the world is a wonderful project, but the executioner’s axe (Fee increament) are impediments to this intellectaul emancipation.

At the conference held in Italy, March 23-24 2010, the Rector, Prof. Botman told the world that “we have turned the town of Stellenbosch and sorrounding areas into a living laboratory to pioneer new knowledge and create tangible hope for the less fortunate.” If the Rector is to address the world, we must advise him to remix the speech in Italy to that “We have turned the University of Stellenbosch into a living laboratory to pioneer new knowledge and create further opportunity for the affluent of university and systematically exclude the wretched of the earth.” If we put these state of affairs and our ‘changing the world project’ into perspective, we then realize that it is not really the world we must concentrate but rather concentrate on changing the world. It is devoid of rationality when a high school leaners is aspiring to assume presidecy of the UN National general Assembly in order to punish the unsrupulous market forces that has led to marke failures. We must address our issues first. In order to change the world, we must address issues such as the language policy beacuse the fact of the matter is that Afrikaans is merely spoken in two countries in the the world. We must first have a timeframe and directive on such matters. Its a contradiction in action, betray to a common concious and false conciousness. We must first change ourselves before attempting to change the world.

Having been found guilty of ‘treason and other high crimes’ and to face the executioners’ axe, King Charles I deliver’s his final words in his speech on the scaffold, January 30 1649. He comments “I shall be very little heard of anybody here…Indeed, I could hold my peace very well, if I did not think that holding my peace would make some men think that I did submit to the guilt, as well as to the punishment: but I think it is my duty to God first, and to my country, for to clear myself both as an honest man, and a good King and a good Christian. I shall begin first with my innocency. In troth I think it not very needful for me to insist upon this, for all the world knows that I never did begin a war with the two Houses of Parliament, and I call God to witness, to whom I must shortly make an account, that I never did intend for to incroach upon their privilages, they began upon me, it is the militia they began upon, they confess that the militia was mine, but they thought it fit for to have it from me”. As it is and as it appears, the sentence is already set, we are already condemned,  the decision have already been made and what is left is to deliver a student’s financial execution. As one of the condemned, it is therefore paramount that I offer my last last words even though I shall be very little heard of anyone here.

To start with, I owe the University as I write, I am studying at the mercy of the graceful members of this institution whom without I will be willowing in the mire. Given that background, its a sad thing to face an execution when all you want to get an opportunity to acquire knowledge for the betterment of indifidual lives, societies and Nation. We wait for the response of Management and thereafter a directive as the SRC Chair will deem it fit.

Job Shipululo Amupanda

Student activist, Stellenbosch University