SA student protests - lessons for Zimbabwe

Monday 10 October 2016, was a memorable day in the history of South Africa. University of Witwatersrand students launched a fiery protest against the government to provide free education. In preceding days, the students had protested against ever-rising fees in tertiary institutions across the country. This time, they were demanding free education altogether after the ANC had promised to deliver free education in 1994.

On that fateful day, thousands of students gathered in front of their tertiary institutions in preparation to protest.  The students had not acquired police approval so it was fundamentally illegal. They were also familiar with the consequences of conducting an illegal protest in a well-resourced country like South Africa. However, they were neither deterred nor frightened by the consequences which would follow.

Before too long, the South African Police had requested multitudes of backup to try and contain the situation which had evidently become uncontrollable. Despite the heavy military attendance, the students' resilience was astonishing because it lasted the entire day.

The eventful day crafted an incredible story that will be remembered in many years to come. But many qualities stood out from the proceedings. Firstly, the students displayed astounding commitment to their cause by attending in their thousands.  They fought 5 armoured military vehicles, several armed police officials and three helicopters wandering in the proximity. Secondly, despite heavy police presence and enduring the sight of frightening weapons, the protesters were not undone by the fear of military apparatus. Thirdly, despite being shot at, they burnt a bus to ashes and brought business to a complete halt. Suffice to say; although the students were armed only with clenched fists and melodious revolutionary songs, their determination was as solid as cement and concrete.

There are numerous lessons that Zimbabwe could learn from these particular protests. The first lesson is that despite the mischievous conduct of protesters, it is imperative for government to respect their civil right to express displeasure. Suffice to say, there should be minimum application of the mercenaries and maximum respect for human life and welfare. The second lesson is that protests are an expression of democracy despite their legal design. In any case, it is government's obligation to meet the demands of protesters regardless of their social representation or political affiliation.

The third lesson is that government must address matters fundamental to the common man. In the process, they must observe basic civil liberties such as freedom to express dissatisfaction in relation to poor service delivery. That is neither arguable nor controversial.

The fourth important tutorial is that, the response of any government to protesters should seek to understand their concerns and not question their constitutionality. The former should be a principal objective. Additionally, the government must comprehend that protests represent an expression of common men demanding a particular service from their government. The process of ‘protesting' is not always cordial, or it would defeat the essence of the word. Therefore, the government should not anticipate a protest to resemble a tea party!

There should be a balance between enforcing the law without infringing basic constitutional rights.   ‘Most African governments are recent liberators of their respective countries', said one youthful protestor while holding bricks in his hands and breathing heavily. ‘If we protest peacefully, they will not take us seriously', he concluded with a hefty sigh.

He also argued that most African governments have not truly comprehended and accepted the implication and application of democracy. Another Witwatersrand activist said ‘We are willing to get arrested for the cause of free education". His argument was fundamentally suggesting that African governments only understand the language of violence in-order for their grievances to be settled.   

Indeed South Africa is a country worth emulating in many ways. It has accepted the responsibility of accommodating many Africans fleeing from various forms of turmoil in their native countries.  With particular focus on Zimbabweans, South Africa has accommodated them with unwavering generosity.

But the two countries have one interesting comparison:  In 1994, the ANC promised free education for all, 22 years later, the ANC is still failing to meet that obligation. In 2013, Zanu Pf promised to create 2 million jobs in 5 years. Just after 2 years, the people are demanding the fulfilment of that promise despite the stringent economic conditions in the country. The lesson is that perhaps Zimbabweans ought to exercise a little patience.

Overall, there are more things that Zimbabwe could also learn from South Africa. Despite the impatience exercised by Zimbabweans, the government must accord the masses the constitutional liberty to express their dissatisfaction. It would be irrational that after failing to fulfil its promises, the government restrains citizens seeking to hold it to account. In-fact that would be unconstitutional.