M ON THE WITS CRISIS

:1S:t1 SUPPOR-r·· .. -·HE c.TUDENT AND WOF; I',EF~ STRUGGLE TO TRANSFORM WITS INTO A tl•JI·J- R,:;ciAL, 1-1 01-1- SD<IST AND DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTION. A PRLCONDITION FOR I :-:E F' :-=! OCES~. OF 1 R,· NSFOF:t-1:; r ION TO F·f~OCEED IS THE REINSTATEI'1ENT OF THE " :· 1-'0C:HTS AND l·JOf ~KU·: S WHO l.JERE EXPELLCD AND DISMISSED LAST YEAR FOR •),-·E:::.-:1TION L.ITTEF: 1:\ND THE ~. o- U~LLCD "HOSTAGE TAKING" INCIDENT.

( 1 ) DEFEND OUR RIG HT TO STRUGGLE

1 HE FAC.. T OF fl- E Mt-i T TE~~ IS T:-1;~ ·r THf:.SC S TUOENTS t-:,ND WOR L:RS WERE GISCI PLINED FOR T ~~ING PART IN A STRUGGLE TO CHANGE THE Ul'liVERSITY. 1/0IHING MORE AND ~OTHING LESS. YET SOME WERE PUNISHED JUST FOR CARR YING HANNE RS IN MARCHES. IS T~II S PART OF WITS' SO- CALLED COMMITMENT TO CHANGE ?

AT THE MOMENT. A GENERAL CONSENSUS IS BEING CREATED B' CHARLTON , THE SRC AND THE ANC A~OU~D WHAT FORMS OF PROTEST ACTION ARE LEGITIMATE. THEY ~. , ·d THAT THE 1'1ETHC::_. ::. ADOr:·TED BY 1 HE :.:.·1 ~JDENT AND WORKER STRUGGLE SHOULD BE .. ·[ ,.'1CEFUL" 1=\ND NOT DISRUPT THE "NORMAL" LIFE OF THE UNIVEF:SITY. FIRST OFF

t.-Jr.: · ::.nW THAr LITrE Riro.JG IS NOT A \.IIOLENT TACTIC. ALSO, WE MLST NOT FORGET THAT WITHOUT OPERATION LITTER LAST YEAR CHARLTON WOULD NOT HAVE GIV EN THE

· CRISIS ON CAMPUS A SECOND THOUGHT. WOULD CHARLTON EVEN HAVE BATTED AN EYELID IF OUR PROTESTS HAD BEEN QUITE AND EASIER TO IGNORE?

FOR THIS REASON, WE DO NOT CONDEMN THE TACTIC OF LITTERING AS SUCH, EVEN IF WE DO BELI~VE THAT TRASHING CAMPUS ON THURSDAY (16/3/95) WAS OUT 0F PLACE WITH THE GENERAL THRUST OF THE ACTIONS TAKEN THIS YEAR: MASS ~ LCEP- INS, PICKETS, MARCHES AND MEETINGS. ARM WANTS TO M~KE IT CLE AR THAT

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WE OPPOSE VIOLENCE AGAINST PEOPLE,

(2) WE CANNOT TRUST THE POLITICIANS

WE MUST NEVER ~oRGET THAT IT WAS MASS STRUGGLE ON THE GROUND THAT BROKE 1~PARTHEID'S SACK. AT THE SAME TIME, IT IS QUITE CLE~R THAT WE CANNOT RELY ON THE PEOPLE WHO WE HAVE ELECTED TO THE DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENT . THE POLITICIANS HAVE ALREADY SHOWN T~EMSELVES ALL TO WILLING TO SEND IN THE POLICE AND DEFENSE FORCE AGAINST PROTESTERS: THE PICK AND PAY STRIKERS, THC JOTA SQUATTERS, WITS IN 1994, TRANSKEI POLICE STRIKERS, UWC ETC . TH~ LIS l I S GROWING ALL THE TIME.

~LSO, THE ANC HAS MADE IT QUITE CLE~R THAT THEY ARE NOT GOING TO HJT ER'/CNE IN THE C1-'IMPUS CfUSES ANY WAY. f='LUS, 1'1ANDELA, IN HIS OPENI NG ·:-l'CEC...H TO PARLIAME"lT THIS YEAR, THRE1~TENED TO USE THE FULL WEIGHT OF .THE LAW AGAINST PROTESTS WHICH ARE NOT "PEACEFUL." NEVER MIND THE VIOLE NCE ·OF P ~ClSM AND POVERTY!!! 1

lN THI!J ~ORT or:- SITUATim~ ITS CLEAR THAT IF THE POLITICIANS DO C·~,:;§·:~.9N. :i;· ,

OUR ~IDE, FINE AND WELL. BUl, OUIIe FRANKLY, We CAN ONLY TRULY RELY ON OUR~ELVES. OUR POWER TO ORGANIZE ~ND MOBILIZE WILL TIP THE BALANCE IN OUR FAVOR . WORKERS AND bTUDENTS AT WITS DO NOT WANT FORGIVENESS OR HANDOUTS. t,.JE l·JANT JUST ICE .

( 3 ) BUILD THE STRUGGLE

ilf,. !'1 L.. '1 l_L _ m; 1~LL I'R0Gf~E·3~_, I'/[ •::. rUDEf\ITS 141'-ID WORKERS TO SUPPORT THE :rRUGGLE Ar WITS.

Sll F.~R OUF': STF<UGbLE l-IAS FOCUSSED Ot'J THE GIG ISSUES LIKE DISBANDING THE COUNCIL AND MAKING THE UNIVERSITY NON· RACIAL. BUT WE ARE UP AGAINST A FOE lHAT l S UETERMINED NOT TO BUDGE . THE STRUGGLE SEEMS CERTAIN TO BE PROTRACTED. AS A RESULT, THE MORALE OF MANY WHO ARE ENGAGED IN THIS 'TPUGGLE IS DROPPING.

WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS TO KEEP UP THE PRESSURE AROUND TRANSFORMATION. AT THE SAME TII'1E We SHOULD "OPEN UP A SECm~D FRONT" OF STRUGGLE. BY THIS l·JE ~1EAN THAT WE 1'1UST TAKE UP THE "BREAD AND BUTTER" ISSUES THAT AFFECT STUDENTS AND WORKERS ON A DAILY BASIS. EXAMPLES ARE OVERCROWDED CLASSROOMS, FOOD PRICE HIKES, AND BAD WORKING CONDITIONS. THESE ISSUES CAN BE WON NOW. rHIS CAN BUILD MORALE AND WILL HELP DRAW MORE WORKERS AND Sl~DENT~ INrO THE CAMPAIGN FOR TRANSFORMATION. WE CAN STRENGTHEN OUR SIDE fHROUCH TI~ESE STRUGGLES AND STRENGTHCN OUR HAND AGAINST THE POWER OF THE .'1['11HI. CUN':.iSTENT t..JORK TO ORGANIZE AF:OUND Al_L OF THESE ISSUES IS A MUST.

( 4 ) AIM FOR REAL TRANSFORMATION

l.JC SUF·!> JR r f! IE _, HWGGLE FOF: H~AI'l':.FORMAT I ON A r (..JI TS AND ON THE OTHER CAMPUSES . THE UNIVERSITIES MUST BE MAGE NON RACIAL AND NON SEXIST. THE OLD COU ,KILS :..HOULD BE F:EI'UlCE.•. WE 8CLIEVE HOWEVER, THAT WE SHOULD ALWAYS AIM TO TRAIJ~F ORM THE IN~TITUTIUNS OF TERTIARY EDUCATION IN A FUNDAMENTAL M~NNE~. lN~ TEAO Of A HIERARCHICAL ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE RUNNING THE UI·H'.'E.R'::.ITIE::. l·J[ l·J~~I\IT TO SEE THE UJ·HvERSITY RUN FROM THE GROUND UP BY ,_:;~: r:;SSRCOT S t.-JOt-:: , cp, ~.T LJ UEI'll AI'ID ~' r~1FT C.OMI'1ITTEES AND COUNCILS. IT MUST BE OPEN TO ALL . THIRDLY, THE UNIVERSITIES MUST BE ORIENTED TO THE NEEDS OF THE WORKING CLASS MAJORITY . THIS IS IN CONTRACT TO THE PRESENT SITUATION WHERE THEY TEI~D TO TRAIN MANAGERS AND PROFESSIONALS TO MANAGE THE MASSES :,JD INTEGRATE THEM INTO CAPITAL 'ST SOCIETY. 1

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IS AN ANTI- At.JTHOATAAIAN REVOLUTIONARV GROUP THAT STAN>S FOR Tl£ ABOUTION OF Tl£ STATE. AN> ALL FORMS OF OPPRESSIOM. WE STAN> FOR WORK.t6G CLASS NSURCTION TO ESTABUSH ST~TELESS .w\.ttLJii)f"lo