July 2025

Simthembile Msakatya questions choices made by ‘leaders’ today and further examines the urgent need to transform and modernize South Africa’s educational structures and/ systems. Highlighting struggles of self-funded students; the moral imperative of equity in education; and consequences of inaction. The piece argues that true progress requires dismantling apartheid legacies in education systems and rebuilding systems centred on equity.

Mxolisi Nomdletshe explores Hip Hop as a protest movement through the lens of South African rapper Gigi Lamayne’s 2016 song “Fees Will Fall.” Analysing her bold critique of systematic injustices during the wake of #FeesMustFall movement. The writer exemplifies the power of Hip Hop in challenging socio-economic injustices.

I’m Mfanelo Dlomo, a third year BA (Human Resource Management) student. I wrote this poem titled “Decoloniality” at the Madibaz Reading Group and Experimental Writing Space. It’s about my imagination of decolonizing the university environment. I was in emotions of sadness that we’ll never experience the ancient natural black people’s lifestyle. My key message is to give a glimpse of what life could have been if it was not modernized. It also reflects how we’ve become so materialistic that we remove nature to replace it with human made objects.

Keneilwe Natu presents a powerful outcry against legacies of apartheid in the voice of Nelson Mandela University students. The poem confronts systematic oppression, racism, and denial of dignity while demanding free education as a gateway to liberation. The poem frames students as both victims and warriors for change, blending the haunting past and present resistance.

Siyamdumisa Vena shares his personal narrative tracing his journey as a student leader at Nelson Mandela University. Underpinning the ripple effects of activism- personal sacrifice from frontline protesters, student arrests, the repercussions of these arrests and lack of institutional accountability. The writer, through personal reflection and academic insights, explores how writing transforms struggle into resistance, healing trauma, amplifying demands for decolonization and equity in university spaces.