Deputy Speaker, the UDM is very concerned about the manner in which government and the Minister of Higher Education and Training are handling the crisis at Walter Sisulu University. If it was not for the intervention of civil society, under the leadership of the SA Council of Churches, the current crisis would have escalated.
It is an indictment of Minister Nzimande that our President had to dispatch Minister Chabane to clean up his colleague's backyard. However, after an agreement was reached to end the seven-week-long strike, we hear that classes are disrupted yet again. The allegations are that the government is negotiating in bad faith and has reneged on its promises. The UDM is of the view that Minister Nzimande has failed to attend to the challenges at Walter Sisulu University, including but not limited to, not intervening in the labour dispute timeously, not reporting on his department's turnaround strategy for the university, whether its budget allocation is adequate, and whether the salaries of academics and workers are competitive. Allegations are that local companies are overlooked for university business.
The university calls on government to urgently resolve the crisis at its campus, because a day lost in a student's learning is a day too many. Thank you. [Applause.]