STUDENTS CRY FOUL AFTER SRC ELECTIONS SUSPENDED

UWC managament under fire from Sasco and DA bodies

THE UNIVERSITY of the Western Cape’s (UWC) student representative council (SRC) elections have been mired in controversy since the university’s management suspended the election process.

The ANC-affiliated SA Students Congress (Sasco) was disqualified from the elections by the university’s Election Management Board after handing in their nomination forms late.

Sasco then cried foul, saying the Pan Africanist Student Movement of Azania (Pasma) should also be disqualified because they “did not hand in official academic transcripts”. And, the DA Student Organisation (Daso), which will participate in the elections for the first time this year, also cried foul about “management interference” and legal opinions sought by the university over the SRC’s constitution, its regulations and the university’s rules.

The elections were set for today and tomorrow, but have been suspended indefinitely. There is currently no functioning SRC at the university.

Nominations for the elections opened last month, but the university’s management has asked for the process to start from scratch.

Daso’s branch leader, Ashley van Heerden, said at a meeting yesterday that his organisation would be against the extension of nominations.

“We sent a letter to the rector [Brian O’Connell]. If the elections take place with Sasco, Daso will not stand and will take legal action – we cannot allow certain parties to bulldoze the process and we cannot allow such a precedent to be set,” he said.

Sasco’s UWC deputy chairperson, Kabamba Chipulu, admitted that the election process had failed and he accused Daso and Pasma of submitting incomplete information.

“We want free and fair elections. The DA is trying to prevent democratic processes with court action. They are eyeing the 2014 elections [to recruit on university campuses]. We believe the election process should start [afresh],” he said. Also yesterday, the DA’s parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko, pictured, spoke to Daso members at UWC. She took a jab at Sasco: “A political party that aspires to [ lead] must get their papers in order. We can’t create different rules for others”. “I am excited at how seriously, and contested, student council elections have become across South Africa.The fact that young people, like you, are eager to get involved in the political process is of great significance to the future of the country.