South Africa's huge student protests

South Africa's huge student protests, explained 

Student protests over tuition fees have rocked South Africa's universities for about a 

week. The protests have been so large that a number of universities across the country 

were shut down. Friday's protest in the capital, Pretoria, attracted 10,000 people — the 

largest student protest since the famous 1976 Soweto anti-apartheid demonstration, 

according to the Guardian.

The protests were frequently met with riot police, occasionally equipped with tear gas 

and stun grenades This kind of conflict is "not seen since the apartheid era," the 

Financial Times' Andrew England reports. 

Here's where the protests came from — and why they've become such a big deal.  

The protests began at the elite University Of the Witwatersrand (called Wits) in 

Johannesburg, South Africa's biggest city On October 14151 Wits students organized a 

mass rally against what they saw as exorbitant increases in fees: students were being 

asked to pay 10.5 percent more in tuition and other fees, as well as 6 percent more in an 

up-front registration fee. 

According to David Dickinson , a sociologist at Wits and a member Of its council, the 

university felt it needed to raise fees to stay afloat financially. Dickinson, who voted 

against the fee increase on the council, blames South Africa 's government for providing 

insufficient financial support to schools and students. Without more government 

support, he writes, many poor and middle class black South Africans will not be able to 

afford higher education. 

"The increasing reduction Of state subsidies...is turning Wits and Other universities into 

de facto private institutions," Dickinson writes. "Elite not on the basis of intellectual 

ability, but on the basis of social class." 

This anger over perceived race and class discrimination fueled the initial round of anti- 

fees protest at Wits. But similar issues affected universities across the country, not just 

Wits, and so the protests spread like wildfire. Social media hashtags like #FeesMustFall 

and #NationalShutdown helped student protestors organize and share information 

across the country. 

The government seemed to have no answer for this protest: tear gas did little to quell 

their growth. By the end of last week, the New York Times reports, the protests had 

"spread outside the campuses, as students have leveled their ire directly at the 

government. " Demonstrators -and police officers clashed outside the Parliament building 

in Cape Town, and students marched on Wednesday to the headquarters here Of the 

African National Congress." 

Where the protests are going the demonstrations are pretty big. 

On Friday, the government caved — kind of. President Jacob Zuma announced that the 

government would freeze all tuition increases at public universities. 

"Government understands the difficulty faced by students from poor households and 

urges all affected to allow the process to unfold to find long-term solutions in order to 

ensure access to education by all students," Zuma said in a televised statement. 

But it's not clear if this is enough; students may demands that fees fall rather than simply 

be frozen. And when Zuma failed to appear personally, protesters outside his office "tore 

up security fences, burned portable toilets and threw rocks at police," the Guardiant 

reports. "It is unclear whether the students will put their placards away and return to 

class on Monday." 

That's because this isn't just about one year Of rising fees. It's about growing frustration 

with the African National Congress, Zuma's party and the dominant political force in 

South Africa since the fall of apartheid in 1994. Andrew England, the Financial Times 

reporter, puts the issue really neatly: 

Many of those protesting are part Of the black middle class that has emerged in the 

democratic era. But with the economy producing anaemic growth, while poverty, 

unemployment and gaping inequalities still blight the nation, disgruntlement is seen 

to be on the rise. 

Against this backdrop, many black South Africans feel that not enough has been done 

to redress the economic and social structures created under apartheid that severely 

discriminated against blacks, while favoring whites. 

Protesters on the ground echo these sentiments. "We're bring robbed here," Thando 

Khumalo, a student at the University of Johannesburg, told the New York Times1101. 

"Why are we still struggling after we were promised so much in 1994?" 

So these student protests are a big deal in their own right. But they're also a 

manifestation Of a seemingly widespread belief that the ANC has simply failed to deliver 

for its citizens. 

This is not simply a
protest against tuition fees rising, this is a protest against the long awaited
promises not being fulfilled by the Zuma Party. Being a South African myself,
and visiting there often I know firsthand the discontentment the population as
a whole feels towards this party. Coming from an "upper" class by
South African standards of division, I know this "upper class" group
to be unhappy with the government, how much more those who struggle to survive
daily due to its lack of care? This article and furthermore, these protests are
the voices of millions of South African citizens fed up with unfulfilled
promises.  The fact that the author
sympathizes with the protesters by representing their history shows a slight
bias towards the protesters, showing little of the government's side of the
issue. Again by bringing up South African history and statistics this is a
clear message to the government and to the whole world listening that the past
should not recur, but rather something must be done. 

Beauchamp, Zack.
"South Africa's Huge Student Protests, Explained." 

Vox. Vox Media, Inc., 24 Oct. 2015. Web. 26 Oct. 2015.

http://www.vox.com/2015/10/24/9607236/south-africas-huge-student-protests-explained

Eldoret Street Children Recall Night of Horror

Eldoret street children recall night of horror

Sarah Kai, a 16-year-old street mother in Eldoret, was deep in slumber near Sosiani River when she was woken up by a big commotion.

“We were surrounded by many people and they warned us not to run away. They ordered us to board a waiting lorry. We were moved to different spots in town where street children stay until the lorry was full. We were then driven away to an unknown destination,” Kai said.

She is among the 250 urchins who were rounded up by Uasin Gishu county government officers on October 11 and ‘deported’ to their counties of origin.

The street families, who included mothers suckling their kids, were then dumped at Kochoria trading centre in Amagoro, Teso North sub-county.

“It was some kind of torture since there was no space in the lorry. We were packed like potatoes and there was no room to stretch our legs. It was worse for us with young children.”

According to the county government, they were sending the children to the counties they identified as their homes.

However, the street children have since returned to Eldoret town.

Martin Ngatia, 30, said they left Eldoret around 9pm. “After many hours of travelling, they told us to alight for a short call before continuing our journey. The driver then said the vehicle had run out of fuel… after a short while, two armed policemen boarded the lorry and drove away… they left us stranded yet it was still dark,” Ngatia said.

The group decided to sleep until morning while others trekked several kilometres to Kanduyi in Bungoma county.

“We slept until morning when the police came and interrogated us. We explained the whole scenario and were taken to the police station. Thereafter they brought us back to Eldoret,” Ngatia said.

Others who had trekked to Kanduyi asked for lifts from truck drivers heading to Eldoret.

Most of them said they have lived in Eldoret town all their lives and they know no other home.

“I think the county government doesn’t want us here and that is why they wanted to take us far. Some of us have their homes but far from this town. Why were those from Turkana or Kericho taken to Busia?” Wilson Achola, another street boy, said.

Sarah Kai says she came to Eldoret town in 2008 from Lokichar town in Turkana county.

Aged nine, she joined some people who were ferried by a lorry going to Kitale town.

“I have my parents and I know my home in Lokichar but poverty made me to run away from home. After reaching Kitale, we stayed in the streets for about a week and we started our journey to Eldoret town. That is how I ended up here,” she said.

Kai later cohabited with a street boy with whom they have a two-week-old boy, who is now being raised up at a children’s home.

“My ‘husband’ is helping the jua kali artisans here and he is paid peanuts. Since I am idle and I need to make ends meet, I go to the streets to beg. Eldoret has become my home,” Kai said.

Kevin Mwangu, 13, said both his parents were alive when he left his Trans Nzoia home five years ago.

He said his parents separated and his father married a second wife. “After my mom left our home, my father remarried and my stepmother mistreated me. That is why I ran way from home and moved to Kitale town,” he said.

He stayed in the streets of Kitale for about five months before he moved to Eldoret with four of his friends.

“We heard that Eldoret town was good and we could make money here. I didn’t want to go back home because I knew I would be mistreated. Since then no one has bothered to look for me,” he said.

Ngatia moved to Eldoret from Mai Mahiu after the death of his mother in 2007.

“We are only two boys in my family. My brother was a casual worker in Eldoret. After the death of my mother, I came with my uncle thinking my life will be better here,” Ngatia said.

After staying for two days with his brother in Eldoret, his uncle left for Mai Mahiu.

“Because he was a casual worker, it was rare to get money to sustain us and we always lacked food. That is when I decided to leave his house in Langas and come to the streets.”

Abigael Jeptoo is aged 14 and comes from Uasin Gishu county.

Her mother hails from West Pokot county but her parents live near Hill School in Eldoret town.

She studied at Penon Primary School until class seven.

“I was staying with my grandmother but when she died in 2012, I came to Eldoret where my parents live. Since they had no money to take me to school, I ran away to the streets,” she said.

“I don’t see any benefit of being in the streets and if I get someone to sponsor me, I would love to go back to school,” Jeptoo said.

Isaac Mudavadi and John Muli, aged 17 and 29 respectively, said they were born in Eldoret town.

“Both my mum and dad are with me here in the streets. I was born here and up to now, I have not understood why we were taken far from our home,” Mudavadi said.

Sheilah Chebet from Baringo county was among those ferried to Busia.

Busia county government was irked by the move to dump the street children in the county.

Busia governor Sospeter Ojaamong regretted the dumping of people to a county they don’t have homes.

“A decent way to settle children should have been followed… dumping is reminiscent of slavery,” Ojaamong said.

“Those who have been dumped here could be recruited into serious crimes network with catastrophic consequences,”Ojaamong said.

“Our county is open and willing to receive people but only in a structured way,” he said.

Ojaamong said instead of rounding up innocent Kenyans and relocating them, Uasin Gishu county should seek support from various government institutions and international agencies.

However, Uasin Gishu county defended itself, arguing that the street children were behind a spate of crimes in Eldoret town.

“The street families have been linked to several killings in the town, muggings, robbery, pickpocketing and vandalism of vehicles tyres, side mirrors among other criminal activities,” Deputy governor Daniel Chemno said.

“Many people have been complaining about them and we want to make this town secure. The same people who were pressuring us to ensure that the town’s security is beefed up are rushing to criticise us for taking the street children to their homes,” Chemno said.

Chemno said the right procedure of identifying the children’s counties of origin were followed.

“It was not a case of pick and dump but most of them have homes and they had run away and were unwilling to go back to school. They identified their homes and we took them to places near their homes,” Chemno said.

He said those with no known homes were taken to various children’s orphanages in the county.

“I find it very ridiculous for many people to complain of being robbed off their phones and belongings by the street urchins and now they pretend to be sympathetic,” he said.

Chemno said he understands the constitution provides that everybody has a right to live wherever he chooses.

“However, these are children and they should be guided by their parents. What we did is to connect them with their parents,” he said.

Uasin Gishu deputy county commissioner Christopher Wanjahu said they were not involved in the plan to repatriate the children.

“We were not involved in the plans… we only learned it through the media,” Wanjahu said.

Orphans Separated Children Assessment Related (Oscar) organisation took the children to their health clinic in Eldoret and has been treating them. They have also provided them with clothes.

John Ayieko, a social worker at the clinic, said they have been offering the children treatment free of charge. The services offered include HIV/Aids counselling and pregnancy and child protection.

“We visit them wherever they are to ensure that their health is well taken care of. They need to live in good conditions and the government should really think about resettling street families,” Ayieko said.

BY STANLEY MAGUT
Magut, Stanley. "Eldoret Street Children Recall Night of Horror." The Star. The Star, 21 Oct. 2015. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.

http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/eldoret-street-children-recall-night-horror

This is a problem not only in Kenya but throughout Africa. Although this was a drastic and unapproved act this movement is an outcry to the government/ authority to do something about the situation in Eldoret. As the author of this article is Kenyan it is easy for him to envision the situation these children are in. He is accustomed to poverty and knows the serious issues associated with it. Although I agree loading everyone in a truck to be deported isn't the answer, I do think the government shouldn't leave this situation. They shouldn't ignore the fact that this causes issues not only for street kids but also for the citizens being affected by them.

North Korea Releases Student Held Since April

 

North Korea Monday released a New York University student who had been detained for 

five months after illegally entering the country. 

Joo Won-moon, 21 is a South Korean citizen but has permanent residency status in the 

United States, where he has been living since 2001. He was apprehended on April 22 after 

he crossed into North Korea from the Chinese border town Dandong. 

In a written statement Monday, South Korea's Minist1Y of Unification said, "Under the 

name of North Korea Red Cross Central Committee, North Korea sent a letter today to 

inform that they will repatriate our citizen, Mr. JOO Won-moon." 

 

Joo was released to South Korean custody at the heavily fortified Panmunjom inter- 

Korean border crossing inside the demilitarized zone (DMZ) late Monday. 

Prior to his arrest in North Korea, 100 was living in New Jersey and studying at New York 

University, but he had taken a semester off to travel. 


In May, during an interview with American news broadcaster CNN, 100 said he wanted to 

be arrested in North Korea and thought it would somehow lead to better inter-Korean 

relations. 

In September, Joo was allowed to speak to the media and in a statement that appeared to 

be coached by North Korean officials, he expressed praise for the North Korean 

government and its people. 

Choi Yong-sang, an activist with the Network for North Korean Democracy and Human 

Rights in Seoul, said Joo's release may be part of a diplomatic effort to convince the 

United States to engage with Pyongyang to ease economic sanctions. 

"His permanent residency in the United States might have played a small but significant 

role as North Korea has been continuously requesting the U.S. for talks or 

normalization," Choi said. 

 

He said there are also signs that North Korea may have decided to halt the launch of a 

satellite next week on the 70th anniversary of its ruling party to improve relations with 

China. 


And Joo's release comes ahead of a scheduled reunion later this month of families 

separated by the 1950-53 civil war that ended in an uneasy truce between the communist 

North and democratic South 

Seoul Monday also pressed for the release of three other South Korean citizens that are 

being held in the North. 

Pyongyang has accused missionary Kim Jung-wook of anti-North Korean religious acts, 

and missionary Kim Kook-ki and businessman Choi Chun-gil of spying for South Korea. 

All three were sentenced to hard labor for life. All three confessed and apologized for 

their crimes, although it is not clear if their confessions were made under duress. 

FILE - Kim Jung Wook, a South Korean Baptist missionary, speaks during a news 

conference in Pyongyang, North Korea. 

Seoul has denied the charges and criticized Pyongyang for sentencing them without a fair 

trial and access to legal counsel. 

Choi said unlike Joo, who is considered an innocent but naive student, Pyongyang 

believes the other detainees were involved in crimes against the state. 

"The one South Korean being held in North Korea is because of his religious work, and 

Other two have been arrested as they worked as a spy, which is unforgivable and 

unacceptable crime in North Korea," he said. 

North Korea is considered to be one Of the most secretive and repressive regimes in the 

world and has been accused in the past of arresting foreign nationals for politically 

motivated reasons and forcing false confessions. 

North Korea is a hot topic of debate today.

Their extremely secretive and harsh government often clashes with many nations in the modern
world. This article proves how, although not the hottest topic on the news
everyday anymore, North Korea's policies still cause quite a stir. This article
is published by Voice of America an organization you almost expect to publish
such articles. Since Joo was living in the US so long the US has personal
involvement in this issue and this probably altered the perspective and bias
from which this article was written. Although this article does describe the
student as naive, it puts little emphasize on the student actually willingly
going to North Korea, especially even wanting to be arrested. He might have
thought twice about this had he known the consequences. However, the article
seems to shift all the blame again on North Korea. For some this article once
again angers a personal devotion, for others it justifies the hate against
North Korea. This article out for all of the world (but primarily Americans
read it) seems to be a bias against North Korea and yet so relieved and the
release of their lost individual. It also almost makes it seem that in some
senses North Korea is turning for the better, but once again this is sharply
contrasted when they mention the unwillingness of other prisoners' release.
Overall this article touches at a very debated topic still today, North Korea,
its policies, government and what should be done.




http://www.voanews.com/content/north-korea-to-free-university-student-detained-since-april/2991675.html