Wits student leader and #FeesMustFall activist Mcebo Dlamini was granted bail of R2000 on Wednesday after 27 days in jail. While addressing students at Witwatersrand (Wits) University, he recounted his traumatic experience in jail.
He started his address by encouraging students to continue with #FeesMustFall movement and made reference to the late Robert Sobukwe.
“Sobukwe died, his ideas are driving us today, they try to drive them away we have picked up from where they left and we are continuing. Others will take from where we fall and then they must continue,” he said.
Our leader. Mcebo. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/gBPnVDvNGt
— #FeesMustFall (@WitsSRC) November 9, 2016
Together with Wits students, the student activist seemed adamant to continue with the movement for free education, despite him being jailed. “When we are arrested the struggle must continue; when we are in hospital, the struggle must continue. You must take our guns and continue with the fight. The fight must not end because Mcebo has been eliminated,” he added.
Standing in the scorching sun, wiping the sweat off his face, he addressed the crowds who were eagerly chanting at him. Dlamini jokingly said: “You see, I am sweating because I was in prison I missed the sun.
— #FeesMustFall (@WitsSRC) November 9, 2016
He went on to describe the traumatic pain in a life of a prisoner.
“I was in prison in solitary confinement. That’s the most painful thing in the life of a prisoner because you can hear other prisoners but you don’t see them, you hear them talk but you cant see them, you can only think and visualise how they look like and sometimes you hear others are screaming, you make your own…what is happening. Others are singing from the ground, others are singing on the top you can only hear that this song is coming underground but you are alone.”
Regardless of the traumatic jail experience, Dlamini mentioned that he was not alone, however, was in spirit with students and received daily updates on what was happening.
“I was alone for the rest of the 27 days that I was in prison but I was not alone because I knew I am with you in spirit, I was updated every day.”
* This article was originally published on The Young Independents website.