Remember #FeesMustFall and Free the Fallists                                                                   

In commemoration of Youth Day 2018, a collective of civil society organisations and activists have come together to launch a campaign aimed at highlighting the plight of #FeesMustFall activists whose lives have been adversely affected by their involvement in the protests that took place in 2015/2016.

As we commemorate forty-two years since the historic June 16^th protests in 1976, we also reflect on the #FeesMustFall protests where students were criminalised for exercising their constitutional right to protest and for demanding that higher education in South Africa should be free and accessible to all.

These protests were aimed at giving substance to section 29(1)(b) of the Constitution which states that “everyone has the right to further education, which the state, through reasonable measures, must make progressively and accessible”.

In 2018, many of the activists who were involved in the #FeesMustFall protests are still facing criminal charges. Some have been suspended from university and are unable to continue with their studies. Those who have managed to graduate are struggling to find employment as a result of having a criminal record. Many of the activists are still awaiting trial. A substantial number of students who are not activists, but were arrested by riot police, are in the same position.

The extent of the adverse impact that the protests have had on the many student activists is not fully known. There are still questions as how many students are still going through the criminal justice system as a result of the protests and how the various universities have responded through sanctions.

In order to ascertain this information, the South African History Archive, on behalf of the collective, has submitted various Promotion of Access to Information requests to the Department of Justice, South African Police Service and various higher education institutions in a concerted effort to better understand how far the ramifications of the protests go. This will enable a broader understanding of the struggles that #FeesMustFall activists are facing and inform future strategies on how to resolve them.

The collective will be addressing a letter to the National Prosecuting Authority requesting it to respond to the charges against the #FeesMustFall activists who have not been convicted – either by dropping the charges, bringing those arrested before the courts in a timeous fashion in order to exercise their right to a fair trial, or consider other remedial actions.

Education is a universal right and demanding the right to free and accessible education should not be criminalised.

We call for support from all sectors of society using the hashtags #RememberFMF and #FreeTheFallists.

*ENDS*

For further comment contact:

Name: Stanley Malematja – Attorney- Right2Protest Project

Contact No: 084 906 5773

E- mail:Stanley.Malematja@wits.ac.za

Name: Anele Nzimande – Television Producer

Contact No: 079 521 0754

Endorsed by:

Right2Know Campaign

Right2Protest Project

South African History Archive

Socio-Economic Rights Institute

UCT Progressive Alumni

UCT Court Support Collective

Centre for Applied Legal Studies

When asking for legal assistance, this is the information you need:

1. How many people have been arrested?
2. What are their names? (Very important!)
3. Where are they? (What police station)
4. What have they been charged with?
5. Phone number of someone who is with them?

What to do before the protest:  

Equip yourself with information! Find out about the law and the right to protest before arrests take place. Call our toll-free hotline 0800 212 111 for advice

Contact us:

Twitter: @ProtestZA

Facebook: fb.com/ProtestZA

Steps to follow when giving notice:

Step One: Identify the individuals who will be the designated convener and deputy convener of the gathering.

Step Two:  According to the RGA if a gathering will be attended by 15 people or less, you do not need to give notice. However, if the gathering will be attended by more than 15 people, you are required to give notice to the relevant authorities in your area.

Step Three: All municipalities have a notice template which is used to give notice for gatherings, this should be available at your local municipal office. The individuals identified as the leaders of the gathering should fill in all the required information regarding the gathering and submit it to the responsible officer in your municipality. This should be done at least seven calendar days before the planned gathering.

Step Four: After giving notice, you may be asked to attend a Section 4 meeting to discuss the logistics of the gathering.

Once all these steps have been completed you should be able to go ahead with your gathering as planned.

Are you facing problems giving notice in your area? Call our toll-free hotline for assistance: 0800 212 111 or tweet us @ProtestZA