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The National Union of Mineworkers Youth Structure (NUM YS) supports the country-wide student protests calling for free education under the slogan #FeesMustFall as led by South African Student Congress ( SASCO).

"The NUM Youth Structure commends the efforts undertaken by the Minister of Higher Education and Training Blade Nzimande to provide a way forward. For the way forward to have an impact, it is necessary for the meaningful negotiations to be restored. We call on university managers to be genuine and treat students with respect and listen to their voices and concerns," said Sabelo Mgotywa
NUM-YS National Secretary.

"On the one hand, those who owns the means of production should take responsibility to funding our higher education as they own the country’s economy and they are the most beneficiaries of our education (Lonmin, Anglo Platinum, Anglo Gold Ashanti, Harmony Gold, Sasol, and Sibanye Gold….etc. Against this background, as NUM Youth Structure we, therefore, call upon students across the country to march to the Chamber of Mines and other major business institutions in the country to demand that big business fund our education," Mgotywa added.

The NUM Youth Structure further believe that the unity of young people in general and Progressive Youth Alliance, in particular, is sacrosanct. It is within this context that we call for an urgent Progressive Youth Alliance meeting as a platform to develop a collective response to this important struggle. Attempts by some in the Progressive Youth Alliance to isolate Minister Blade Nzimande can only serve the interest of our detractors, the populists, demagogues and political celebrities and the proto-fascist who want to steal genuine student struggle for their selfish interests and our class enemy.

We depart by strongly condemning the manner in which the police is handling the situation, as it has led to severe injuries of students and this might lead to loss of life if we are not handling this matter properly.

Issued by The National Union of Mineworkers Youth Structure