Wits SASCO

29/01/2018

Leaders par excellence

26/01/2018

Coming near the end of a gruelling WRC period, it is with great disappointment that SASCO Wits Main Campus Branch notes the misrepresentation of the movement and its ethos. A statement claiming to have been issued by “South African Students Congress University of the Witwatersrand branch” has surfaced. In it lies many thoughts drafted by an unnamed author. The most menacing of these thoughts is the dismissal of members of opposition as students first and politicians after.

Having been in office last year we acknowledge that opposition adopted many unorthodox, often base tactics to bring us into disrepute. This included but was not limited to intimidation, slander, destruction of both personal and organisational property, violence etc. The current frustration of comrades will perhaps be that we never responded at the level we were met. It is however at this time exactly that we must as comrades remind ourselves and one another that many have come and gone but we remain precisely because we never respond at the level which we are met. That the largest student organisation in Africa cannot participate at the level of an upstart.

The phrase “comrades don’t take comrades to jail” however much it might need review is a point at which we must reflect. The phrase is not one based on liberal brotherhood or even the doctrine of forgiveness. The phrase having its roots in the apartheid era notes the system they were fighting which was legalised tyranny. It simply says, a comrade will not submit another comrade to the system they are fighting.

SASCO has for years recognised that the system we are fighting in higher education is institutionalised anti-Africanness and anti-poverty. When we say “iSASCO eyabafundi” our only bias is towards the African poor as per our ideology. The exclusion from an anti-African anti poor-system of an African and poor student is not only not something to celebrate but is reason for revolt. What it clearly displays is that as a snake sheds its skin so does the capitalist system renew itself. That what has been used to systematically and perpetually make cannon fodder will not discriminate based on political affiliation. What is most important is that just as it was said, “a comrade doesn’t take a comrade to jail” during apartheid we must also say today “a student doesn’t hold an exclusion against another student”.

We would therefore like to say, unreservedly that the statement which purports to be from the “South African Students Congress University of the Witwatersrand branch” is in fact a view of a member who is yet to be identified. It is in no way the view of SASCO Wits Main Campus Branch, of iSASCO yabafundi.

Yours in struggle,
SASCO Wits Main Campus Branch

Chairperson
Nonkululeko Mntambo

14/01/2018

03/01/2018

Due to the high volume of emails we've received our response might be delayed. However, we understand the urgency of the situation. We've decided to move our response time accordingly. You will no longer have to wait 24 hours, expect a response before midnight.

01/01/2018

Don't forget, we'll be on campus TOMORROW from 08:00 to 17:00 ready to assist students who have been academically excluded.

Again, in the case you can't make it to campus please contact us on

[email protected]

Return rates under the PYA lead SRC increased from 43% to 92% between 2010 to 2017. It is possible. Don't give up.

You have the

31/12/2017

So you got excluded, what does it mean for your future?

We can say with surety that this does not have to be the end of the road.

As SASCO forming part of the Progressive Youth Alliance (PYA) we've worked on exclusions for years reaching even a 90% return rate. Many of the people we've helped get readmitted are graduates today! WE ARE HERE TO HELP. Your former academic officers, former academic office subcommittee members and former SRC members will be at school from the 2nd to the 5th of January to assist in any way possible with writing exclusion appeals. These are leaders with WRC experience

It is recommended that you see us directly but should this not be possible, drop us an email at

[email protected]

27/10/2017

SASCO on Fees Commission report: a call for a national day of action and beyond.
(26/10/2017)

We as the South African Students Congress (Wits Branch) would like to express our
deep disappointment at the slowness in releasing the findings of the Fees Commission.
Not only because we have been waiting for a year but because there is an intentional
manufacturing the image of the irrational student. There state intends to make
criminals and drop outs out of the marginalized student populace by dragging its feet.
It intends to make trauma patients of us and accuse us of laziness when we cannot
recover during the year. We would go so far as saying that the state dragging its feet on
merely releasing a report is specifically done to marginalize poor students. We say this
not out of an inspiration towards poetic grand standing as we have been subjected to. It
is because across the country universities, backed by the state, there has essentially
been an outlawing of protest yet with every opportunity, the state gives the poor reason
to protest.

We believe that a report of this importance insofar as its impact on the futures of many
students should take national priority and be made public expeditiously.It is not enough
that poor students are subjected to a failed NSFAS system having been promised free
education on 2012. The very same poor students are currently being shot at and
arrested at UFS and UCT and many other universities because the state is defeated by
administration. Having waited in good faith for the report, the students of South Africa
are expected to write exams not knowing their future, not knowing if they will even be
allowed on campus grounds next year. It is this or risk life and limb all because of a
singular report which should have been available in 2012.

As we are nearing the end of the academic year, we find ourselves in a precarious
situation. Do we allow ourselves as students to be railroaded and go quietly into exams
or do we bring our bodies once more to the alter of revolution? We choose, as we have
before, to exhaust all processes.

We therefore call on the Vice Chancellor and Principal of the University of the
Witwatersrand to join us in practice - and not only in principle - in the fight for free
education. We believe the VC – as the chairperson of Universities South Africa (USAf) –
positions him to be the legitimate voice to lead in this regard by showing that he,
together with the USAf collective are genuine in their support of the countrywide call by
students in all institutions of higher learning and show solidarity by joining us on a
national day of action which will call for the release of the fees commission report.

Subsequent to the day of action, the VC together with USAf are called upon to join
students in what steps become necessary to attain not only the report but free
education. The VC and Principal of this institution, Wits, has been on record as saying
he is available and willing to “march with the students”. Students are ready. The time to
act is now! We cannot wait any longer!

Freedom or death, we shall overcome

Nonkululeko Mntambo
Chairperson

Sifiso Ngcobo
Secretary

15/10/2017

Post your pictures and don't forget to cast your votes for PYA on Tuesday and Wednesday!

15/10/2017

✊🏽🖤💚💛

14/10/2017

For Students, By Students. ✊🏽🖤💛💚

14/10/2017

Are you ready to on the 17th and 18th of October? Here are the steps:

14/10/2017

#3 #6 #10 #11 #25 #26 #27 #31 #32 #42 #44 #45 #50 #53 #59

on the 17th and the 18th of October! Amandla!