The Spark

Student Parliaments are centres of political activism in the student space in theory. However, the practice differs from theory due to the debasement of the idea of Student Parliaments. The debasement of Student Parliaments is directly caused by the interests of the Management to ensure that the Students do not raise their class consciousness, and identify the institution as a space of contestation. The less conscious the student is, the better. However, in most cases the Management uses the very same Students against other Students to ensure that they remain muddled in petty conflicts that do not assist in advancing and developing student politics. With this being the reality in most Student Parliaments across the country, we ought to ask ourselves three questions; where did we go wrong, how did we go wrong, and what is to be done? Where did we go wrong? It is easy for us to come with answers of where we went wrong. However, we might come to the realisation that most of these answers ...

THE VISUALISATION AND CONCEPTUALISATION OF THE ACTIONS THAT NEED TO BE TAKEN WITH REGARDS TO THE DEVELOPMENTAL AND TRANSFORMATION PATH OF THE TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) SECTOR, WHAT DO WE MEAN?                                                                                 XABISO “CHE” MANYA. This article proposes that the Technical and Vocational Education and Training ( TVET) colleges needs restructuring in order for it support more innovative responsiveness to the emerging economy, and to further bring about a conceptual understanding and an exposition on the challenges confronting the sector in its entirety and the direct effects they have of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college students popula...

Internal contestations are a norm if we seek to develop the revolutionary potential of any revolutionary movement. However, when contestation is subject to the muddy waters of bureaucratic machinations and contestation management it becomes an unpleasant scene. For any contestation to benefit the revolutionary movement it ought to be primarily based on ideas and not personalities. It needs to be based on meritocratic standards balanced out by democratic standards. Our movement needs a standard, and procedure to develop internal democracy. In this article I will venture into how internal contestations can be used as a catalyst for change, and how we ought to contest power internally. Why do we contest internally?  "In inner party politics, these methods lead, as we shall yet see, to this: the party organisation substitutes itself for the party, the central committee substitutes itself for the organisation, and, finally, a dictator substitutes himself for the central committee....

There is a tendency among students that has entrenched itself. This tendency renders the student movement a sectarian movement which inherently limits itself to student issues, and only student issues. This sectarian tendency has gripped many student organisations due to their inherently reformist character; however, this tendency seems to have also gripped organisations that call themselves revolutionary. This pervasive tendency has set itself up in revolutionary organisations due to the capacity of the current leadership in these respective organisations. This sectarian tendency is called Studentism.   What is Studentism ? Studentism  is a tendency which is based on the belief that each institution of learning is a peculiar environment which has a different material reality from the 'outside' world. This tendency isolates the institution from the general struggles in society by emphasising that the struggles on campus are primary, while the struggles of the 'outside' ...

The University of Fort Hare is historically known for being the epicentre of revolutionary activism. The University of Fort Hare has always been found in the right spaces, and at the right time when it comes to student politics in institutions of Higher Education. Every time there has been a qualitative leap forward, the University of Fort Hare has always produced quality activists with revolutionary leanings. The University of Fort Hare has produced monumental leaders in African history. It has been the hub of leadership, especially in the Liberation Movement in Southern Africa.  Therefore, it is important for us to investigate the state of Student Activism in the University. This investigation is largely influenced by the looming Constitutional Summit which could make or break Student Activism. This Constitutional Summit will be a site of struggle between forces loyal to the cause of the capitalist backed university management epitomized by the slogan 'Decade of Renewal', and...

       On Contradictions at UFH: Who is the foe of the students?   The first thing we need to understand when we delve into this matter is the keyword contradiction. A contradiction according to the Oxford dictionary is a combination of statements, ideas, or features which are opposed to one another. It further goes on to refer to contradiction being a situation in which inconsistent elements are present. In our case at the University of Fort Hare we can clearly see that we have an environment which is riddled with contradictions which have become an inherent part of the process. The contradictions vary, however, in this Marxist-Leninist analysis we will deal with the primary contradiction as it sets the tone for the secondary contradictions.                                                   Historical Develo...

                                               The Scourge of GBV #JusticeForNosicelo                                                                                     by                                                                      Lindokuhle Mponco The scourge of GBV in South Africa continues to rip communities apart. The latest incident that occurred keeps...