A #FeesMustFall benefit concert which aims to raise fees for students struggling to pay their fees will be held in March next year.
The picnic will be held at The Station, the old Park Station in Johannesburg, which is now an event venue with a 15,000 capacity.
Hosted by the Miss Gauteng Exclusive Foundation in partnership with The Station, the picnic will see performances by the likes of Black Coffee, Micasa, AKA, Ricky Rick, Major League and Locnville, the organisers said at a briefing on Wednesday.
Naledi Etsane, Miss Gauteng Exclusive first princess, said they aim to raise R10m which will include donations and partnerships with other institutions.
She said it's still early to make projections in terms of how much could be generated from the picnic as Covid-19 regulations will determine the number of people the picnic could allow.
Etsane said she personally identifies with the struggle of being unable to pay for tertiary studies.
“I, myself have fees outstanding. I'm from Wits (University) and a lot of students have been impacted by Covid-19 with lots of people losing their jobs,” Etsane said.
Bonolo Mabena, who studied at the Tshwane University of Technology in Pretoria said she had first hand experience of struggling with her tuition fees until she was funded by the National Student Financial Aid Scheme for her first two years of studying.
She said for her third and last year, her mother had to scramble to ensure that her fees were paid.
Annwen Jordan, the co-founder of Miss Gauteng Exclusive Foundation said they have partnered with institutions of higher learning such as Wits University, Rosebank College, City Varsity, Boston Media, University of Johannesburg and Digmac College, who have endorsed the initiative.
“The universities know the students which need financial assistance so we will rely on them to find those students that need assistance,” she said.
Jordan said they hope to expand their foundation beyond Gauteng in future and be able to assist students nationwide.
The trio believe that the picnic has the potential to unite all South Africans as a positive step to put an end to financial exclusion that affects thousands of students across the country.
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