As political parties are approaching the end of their rallies heading towards elections next week, students are still not confident about whether the elections will have an impact on their struggles.
48 political parties will take to the streets campaigning in a bid to appeal for more votes, this coming 2019 elections.
According to the Citizen, political expert Ralph Mathekga said he struggled to find evidence where political parties highlighted in their manifestos how they aim at tackling student issues.
Taking that black people have evolved in South Africa but political parties have over the years failed to understand that and instead continued to treat issues related to the black people by still focusing on the older identities of black people which were primarily based on class.
“I am not aware of any party focusing on smaller groups, but you do see students being represented, like what you see in the student command of the Economic Freedom Fighters.
“However, even with this I don’t see a sustained focus on students and I think the message gets swallowed with the bigger message for the nation,” said Mathekga.
Wits student activist Kamohelo Chauke expressed confidence in the Economic Freedom Fighters stating that this stands as the only political party that can answer to the plight of students struggling in tertiary institutions across the country.
“The political space is a walking contradiction,” Mbali Mashaba said.
