Coordinated public action should now be felt in Parliament meetings

ACCESS to higher education in South Africa has been a contested space since the dawn of democracy.

- THABISILE MIYA

In 2016, the Fees Must Fall generation made a striking demonstration and called for access to free education, a valid call considering the inequality in the country. The movement drew on public support for the cause, where many South Africans could relate to being affected by.

Recently, the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) drew public outcry when news of the amendment of the National Credit Act gained popularity.

Since the inception of the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS), more than 5 million beneficiaries have been supported in the form of student aid. The implementation of the National Credit Act would have meant that those who still owe NSFAS would be blacklisted and potentially barred from taking further loans or enjoying the benefits of using credit.

In response to this, a petition was started and received close to 200 000 signatures within a week, highlighting the public's discontent with the amendment. Following this, the department has since withdrawn the proposed amendments. This move marks an affirming role of public participation in democratic processes and signifies what can happen when an organised group invests in public affairs and engages office-bearers.

The proposed amendments by DTIC to the already existing National Credit Act (35 of 2005), which makes provision for the protection of consumers in the lending and borrowing space, were simply effected to include institutions of higher learning as part of the entities that could hand over student debt information to credit bureaus.