Realizing Fee-Free Higher Education in South Africa; Dreams and Nightmares

The component of free rudimentary education is guaranteed and recognized by the 1996 Constitution, the African National Congress (ANC) Freedom Charter as well as other international instruments such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). Conversely that there exists no component of free higher education in South African laws and statutory guidelines, let alone in the international arena advocating for free higher education. Notwithstanding this fact, reality has shown that free higher education has not been realized despite students’ petition which fact has instigated them to take part in severe dissents from the four walls of South Africa. This paper argues that free higher education is not realizable the South African government has limited resources and the economy is on its knees. The paper further argues that for the South African government to fund free higher education it needs a well-resourced economy which is the contrary in South Africa.