The NYDA urged students, management, and government to restore calm and prioritise dialogue to address the root causes of the protests.
The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) has called for calm and constructive engagement following violent protests at the University of Fort Hare in the Eastern Cape.
The recent violence left key infrastructure damaged and academic activities suspended.
Protests cause extensive damage
The NYDA on Wednesday expressed deep concern over the unrest, which saw several university buildings, including laboratories and student service centres, vandalised or destroyed.
The agency said the violence had dealt a major setback to thousands of students who depend on these facilities for their education and research.
“Public universities are not only centres of learning but also custodians of our collective heritage,” the NYDA said.
“The destruction of facilities represents a setback to thousands of young people who depend on these institutions for education, research, and opportunity.”
Anger must be heard, not feared
NYDA executive chairperson Dr Sunshine Myende said while young people have a right to demand accountability and transformation, violence is not the answer.
“The anger of young people must be heard, not feared,” said Myende.
“But our power as a generation lies not in the burning of our institutions, but in building them into spaces that reflect justice, accountability, and hope.”
She emphasised that the youth’s struggle should focus on transformation and constructive reform, not destruction.
“The struggle of today’s youth is not to destroy what exists, but it is to reimagine and transform it,” she added.
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Call for peaceful engagement
The NYDA urged students, university management, and government to restore calm and prioritise dialogue to address the root causes of the protests, including democratic representation, governance, and equitable access to resources.
“The agency calls for the immediate restoration of calm and order across all affected campuses, coupled with a renewed commitment to constructive engagement between student leadership, university management, and government,” it added.
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Commitment to safeguard education
As a statutory body mandated to promote youth development, the NYDA reaffirmed its commitment to work with the Department of Higher Education and Training, student organisations, and university councils to find lasting solutions.
“South Africa’s universities must remain places of intellectual freedom, transformation, and social progress, not sites of destruction,” Dr Myende said.
The agency also urged all parties to protect the academic heritage of the country’s universities, describing them as “vital instruments for empowerment, knowledge production, and the advancement of future generations”.
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