To: The University Councils and Management of all South African Universities, 
Colleges, and private Higher Education institutions, the Department of Higher 
Education and Training (DHET), and the South African Parliament.

We, the undersigned Students, Workers and Public of South Africa, 

including the South African Students Congress (SASCO), Palestinian Solidarity Committee at the University of Pretoria (PSC UP), Palestinian Solidarity Committee at the University of Witwatersrand (Wits PSC), University of KwaZulu Natal Palestinian Solidarity Committee (UKZN PSC), Palestinian Solidarity Forum at the University of Johannesburg (UJ PSF), Palestinian Solidarity Coalition at the University of the Western Cape (PSC UWC), UCT Alumni for Palestine (UCT Alumni), Palestinian Solidarity Alliance Youth League (PSA YL), Young Communist League of South Africa (YCLSA), African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL), Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), and all its affiliates, and the Swaziland Youth Congress (SWAYOCO):

Assert that institutions of higher learning have a moral and ethical responsibility to stand on the side of justice, human rights, and international law. 
Recall the historic role of international solidarity, including academic and cultural boycotts, in isolating the apartheid regime in South Africa and advancing our own liberation. 
Honour the solidarity offered by the People on the African Continent, People in the Global South and global movements during our struggle against apartheid. 
Observe with grave concern the ongoing complicity of many South African institutions through their maintenance and development of academic, financial, and institutional ties with states and entities implicated in: 
 

1. Genocide, Apartheid, and Settler Colonialism in Palestine: The state of Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza, its system of apartheid, and its illegal occupation of Palestinian land.
2. War Crimes and Complicity in Sudan: The role of the United Arab Emirates in fueling the Sudanese civil war, resulting in mass displacement, scholasticide, and daily war crimes.
3. Illegal Occupation of Western Sahara: The Moroccan regime’s illegal occupation and neocolonial exploitation of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.
4. Tyrannical Suppression in Swaziland: The Mswati regime’s brutal 
   suppression of democracy, human rights, and political freedom in Swaziland.

Believe that silence and "strategic ambiguity" in the face of such injustices constitute complicity. We further draw a direct line between the forces that commodify education and oppress Students in South Africa and those that support aggression and injustice globally.

Therefore, we hereby petition and demand that all South African universities, TVET and CET colleges, private higher education institutions and relevant government bodies: 

1. Publicly and unequivocally condemn: 

• The genocide and apartheid perpetrated by the Israeli state against the Palestinian people.
• The occupation of Western Sahara by the Kingdom of Morocco. 
• The war crimes and mass displacement in Sudan, and the role of the United Arab Emirates therein.
• The tyrannical suppression of democratic rights by the Mswati regime in eSwatini. 

2. Commit to an immediate and comprehensive cessation of all institutional ties, including, but not limited to

• academic exchanges,  
• research partnerships,  
• financial investments,  
• financial & other donations, and  
• service contracts,

and adopt a policy of non-engagement with the following states and institutions until such a time as they comply with international law and respect universal human rights

• israeli and zionist institutions,
• Emirati institutions,
• Moroccan institutions, & 
• Swazi state institutions. 

3. Issue public statements declaring this ethical stance and proactively seek to build new partnerships based on principles of justice, decolonisation, and mutual respect.

By signing this petition, we add our collective voice to the global call for justice. We stand in solidarity with the oppressed peoples of Palestine, Sudan, Western Sahara, and eSwatini. We demand that our places of learning cease to be platforms for oppression and become beacons of ethical principle and international solidarity. 

In the spirit of Oliver Tambo, who taught us that "without international solidarity, our struggle would have been greatly diminished," we act.

Please include the following information in the comment section of your submission:

Name: 
Stakeholder: Student / Educator / Institutional Staff / Parent of a Student / Concerned citizen 

Province:

Institution: 

Contact details: 

• Email: 
• Cell: 
• Contact consent: 
  

For further information, or to endorse as an organisation, contact Cde Tarik Lalla on +27 71 491 3884. Please note any money donated does not go towards SASCO, any Campus based PSO, or alternative structures - although it is suggested that Students choose the option to share the petition instead.