Durban - The African National Congress Youth League(ANCYL) in the eThekwini region has condemned the disruptions that have occurred at tertiary institutions across the province, calling for constructive engagement between the management and student representative bodies on campuses.
Briefing the media on Thursday, the youth league said it noted with disappointment the recent torching of Mangosuthu University of Technology. Youth League regional secretary Thulisa Ndlela said there needs to be restraint and a better way of engaging by students.
"We were quite disappointed with the torching of buildings at MUT and our position is that no amount of frustration should lead to destruction of property," he said.
Aside from MUT, tertiary institutions around the province, including the University of KwaZulu-Natal, have experienced their fair share of violent protests by students often leading to clashes with campus security. "We are saying when you burn a classroom or an entire building over a matter that concerns you, the problem with that are the long term effects of the action... someone else's future will also be affected when there is no classroom," he added.
The league is hoping to hold meetings with different student organisations across the political spectrum to discuss matters that affect students, and agree on principles that should be followed when handling challenges.
"We should agree on a set of rules that should guide us. Part of that should be a principle that says under no circumstances should property be damaged - owing to its long term effects," Ndlela continued.
He appealed to all stakeholders at tertiary institutions to work towards a common goal of ensuring that institutions equip students with skills and know-how, which would enable them to cope with the challenges of modern times.
According to the youth league, they want to see eThekwini Municipality developing programmes that empower young people, especially in the field of economic development, as this will have a greater impact on communities across the city.