Johannesburg – The National Press Club has named the “FeesMustFall” movement newsmaker of the year for 2015.
“The decision to name #FeesMustFall as the newsmaker for 2015 was unanimous,” club chairman Jos Charle said on Wednesday.
“This was a major game-changer in our country. There is no doubt that tertiary education in South Africa will never be the same again. The last time the students of our country were united in a common cause like that was in 1976 when they protested against Afrikaans as a medium of instruction. However, this time around, #FeesMustFall received support across many sectors of our society, including students from across the globe.”
Thousands of students shut down university campuses through “FeesMustFall” protests, demanding free higher education for all.
Charle said the role of social media and mainstream media contributed to the success of the students’ movement.
“The #FeesMustFall campaign spread across all university campuses like wildfire and dominated the news environment for at least three weeks. The fact that it led to President Jacob Zuma announcing that there would be no increase in tertiary education fees for 2016, illustrates the success and impact of the campaign.”
The press club awards a newsmaker in a calendar year based on the amount of media coverage it received, as well as the impact thereof. The organisation receives nominations and motivations from press club members. A final decision on the winner is made by the executive committee of the club.
African News Agency
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