Varsity THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN
5 April 2011
Volume 70: Number 4
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Cirque du Soleil fires up IN THIS ISSUE
GCI against Shell
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Mad not sad
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Skulled art
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IKEY spirit
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SALTIMBANCO - Crowds in Cape Town are hypnotized by a spectacular performance by Cirque du Soleil held at Grand West Arena. Image: Matthew Jordaan/Independent Newspapers
20 000 learners march Absence of Minister and poor security organisation at Equal Education march raises concerns Pasqua Heard & Olivia Wainwright
T
he Equal Education campaign held a march to Parliament on Monday 21 March to draw attention to the state of education in South Africa. Marching from the Grand Parade, protestors and organisers raised questions about VIP attendance and visible crowd control at the event. Equal Education is an NGO that campaigns for basic learners’ rights in South Africa. The march drew 20 000 protestors – mostly from underprivileged schools. All learners were neatly dressed in their school uniforms. Organisers and protestors aimed to ensure that Minister for Basic Education Angie Motshekga provides the promised “minimum norms and standards for school infrastructure” by 1 April, a deadline to which she
has committed her department. Upon reaching Parliament, marchers were to hand a memorandum to the minister, asking her to keep this promise. Motshekga was invited in writing by Equal Education but did not arrive at the event, causing disappointment amongst protestors. “It was very much an anti-climax. The organisers literally looked deflated and everything felt like it had come to nothing,” said Ben Goble, a grade 12 learner from Westerford High School, who attended the march. Instead, Dingani Ngobeni, Motshekga’s Chief of Staff, received the memorandum on Motshekga’s behalf. Ngobeni attempted to make a speech but was heckled by the crowd, and left the podium with the memorandum. The annual march is well-known in the community, but this year has raised a number of questions. The issue of road closures and crowd control was raised by Equal Education organisers. “We complied
with all rules, both from the SAPS and the City of Cape Town, and had all the necessary permissions and approvals, and communicated with them all documents pertaining to safety. However, when they were needed to handle any criminal incidents, they were nowhere to be found,” said Yoliswa Dwane for Equal Education. A source at the Cape Town Metro Police Station responded that it was not the police’s duty to arrange the closing of roads, but rather that of the City Council. In terms of crowd control, the source said that the
“The cries of our youth for a quality education cannot be ignored” police were present, but not always visible. The point was made that the crowd was very large; “If you have 1 000 people, you cannot have 1 000
policemen,” the source said. Although concerned about the role the authorities played in securing the march, Equal Education organisers believe that the march was successful. “It showed that people can be mobilised on a large scale to demand better education, and proves how important these issues are to those affected. The result is that now [more people] know about this mass movement of the youth, [which] is power in itself. […]The cries of our youth for a quality education cannot be ignored when they are coming from such a massive gathering,” said an organiser. Equal Education will continue their campaign for quality education in South Africa. “We are holding a People’s Summit for Quality Education from 25–27 June. As a way forward with the struggle of the youth for education, we will […] put more pressure on government to deliver good infrastructure in schools and better education.”
Jazzfest dazzles
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