UCT SRC clash in the wings

DA Student Organisation claims ‘hostile takeover’

ACONFRONTATION within the UCT’s Student Representative Council may be on the cards after a sudden council reshuffle on Monday evening.

“The DA Student Organisation at UCT strongly condemns the hostile takeover of the UCT SRC by a power-hungry cabal of delinquents,” chairperson Neo Mkwane said. He said the decision to reshuffle its council was rushed and irrational.

“We are also seeking internal recourse within the DA against Christopher Logan and Mthobisi Mngomezulu who have consistently served at the pleasure of the EFF SC and Pasma. Furthermore, we are considering all avenues available to us, including legal action,” Mkwane said.

The reshuffle came after the post was not filled following last month’s resignation of SRC treasurer Emma Johansson. The SRC received a recommendation to have a full portfolio reassignment.

On Monday, the SRC had a meeting and voted to accept this recommendation. The DA-led student council then argued that the SRC constitution was not correctly followed. They said the session could not be held outside the “power and bindings” of chapter 12 of the SRC constitution, which says a portfolio change may occur when mutually agreeing portfolios submit a proposal to the SRC secretary general to be tabled at the following general SRC meeting, and the proposal is ratified by a twothirds majority of voting SRC members and endorsed by the student parliament.

As a result of that reshuffle, six portfolios were left vacant and the DA Student Organisation lost two of its seats that it had in the top five. It also resulted in its president, Karabo Khakhau, losing her post to Mthobisi Mngomezulu.

Mngomezulu is an activist who earlier this year mocked claims made by Khakhau when she said there was a housing crisis at the university. Mngomezulu said that Khakhau was making this up.

In an e-mail sent out to students at UCT, Khakhau said none of the conditions in the constitution was followed.

“Furthermore in this meeting the speaker argued that he will not be making any constitutional interpretations, and that all members who wish to challenge the procedure may do so through the constitutional court committee and student governance court,” Khakhau said.

She said the act was a violation of the SRC constitution. “The decision affects students terribly. We originally had a group of students who couldn’t afford registration, and as the SRC we came up with a plan to raise funds for them and to keep them in school. But we can’t do that and we can’t move forward,” Khakhau said.

The decision is under review after Khakhau, along with the organisation, submitted an application to have it reviewed.