Mdodi’s WSU comments absurd

THE silence of the Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande amid the crisis at Walter Sisulu University has been truly baffling.

I am not sure whether this has been because WSU is not important to him or it is too much of a hot potato for him to want to handle.

But, whatever it is, it is really unacceptable for the Minister of Higher Education to have kept quiet for so long on the matter.

Everyone knows that this institution serves mostly students from previously disadvantaged backgrounds, in a mostly rural province.

In other words the continued existence and full functioning of WSU is critical to both the province and this country.

There is nothing that is likely to develop this country more than education.

This means we should be doing everything in our power to keep the institutions that are in place working at their optimal levels.

We should be looking at every possible way of increasing the output of skilled youth in all the essential areas of our economy with a view to expanding the economy to include new industries.

If we are so careless that we allow a situation to continue such as the one that has been paralysing WSU for seven weeks how will we ever rise to meet the challenges facing this country?

These students and their parents are the very people who voted for the tripartite alliance – the ANC and the beloved SACP of Nzimande.

The utterances of Eastern Cape SACP spokesperson, Siyabonga Mdodi were particularly disturbing after WSU workers passed a vote of no-confidence in Nzimande.

“We view some of the comments as anti-communist sentiments disguised as genuine voice representing the plight of the university,” Mdodi is reported to have said.

That this man could think first about the image of the SACP when such a crisis is unfolding is really insensitive.

Nzimande has failed to play his role in speeding up a settlement here and solving the crisis before it reaches such untenable levels.

It has nothing to do with the SACP or communism or anti-communist sentiments. It is a simple case of a university which has been neglected at a time when it needs all the help and support from the relevant minister and his government.

Mdodi went on to say, “We find this to be very unfair as no one denies the resources pumped into the university under the leadership of comrade Blade Nzimande, who is not the minister of WSU but the minister of the department of higher education and training with many challenges”.

I am not sure whether Mdodi and the SACP think pumping in resources is a substitute for leadership and the resolve to create solutions.

I am also not sure whether they think it is sensitive to tell us in blunt terms that Nzimande is too busy with “many challenges” to care about the state of WSU.

Whatever the case I find this a terrible attitude of carelessness from people we call leaders.

This crisis fully warranted the involvement of the presidency. Why on earth has it taken so long?

Bantu Mniki is from Dutywa