Fort Hare students prepare to vote for new campus leaders
FORT Hare University students will elect their new leaders in two weeks’ time.
The university management, with the help of stakeholders including student representative council and political organisations on campus, has crafted a route to the SRC election on April 26.
Student movements – among them the South African Students’ Congress (Sasco), the Pan Africanist Student Movement of Azania (Pasma) the DA Students’ Organisation (Daso) and the Economic Freedom Fighters’ Student Command (EFFSC) – this week launched their election campaigns on satellite campuses including UFH’s main campus in Alice.
The Alice campus is currently dominated by Sasco and the East London one by Pasma.
Central to any election is the process of nominating and fielding candidates to contest the various positions available.
Sasco this week officially inducted its members in Alice, and in East London Sasco members were campaigning door to door.
Sasco elections convener for Alice Phumlani Msenge said electioneering was already in full swing.
“Sasco is the only organisation that has a struggle track record and has the best interests of poor students at heart,” said Msenge.
But Pasma, Daso and EFFSC vowed to give Sasco a run for its money.
The three parties were still busy verifying the candidates they had nominated to contest the election.
A preliminary list of SRC candidates must be made public and a process for objections to nominated candidates undertaken.
That will be on the same day that the voters’ roll is made public.
Daso’s campaign manager Baxolile Nodada vowed his organisation would take over the running of the SRC come elections.
Daso and Pasma had three seats each at UFH’s East London campus and Sasco had four.
“We only need one extra seat to win. We can even enter into coalition with other organisations to take control,” said Nodada.
Regarding the Alice campus, Nodada said students still believed in them as Daso had a good track record in taking care of students’ demands.
Daso lost control of the Alice campus last year as they did not participate in the elections.
They were disqualified because they missed a deadline to submit the names of their nominated candidates.
At the East London campus, African National Congress-aligned Sasco is hoping to unseat Pasma.
Sasco chairman on the East London campus Lwazi Mtiki said they were aiming for at least eight seats.
“Students have confidence in us and they trust us.
“Our record speaks for itself,” said Mtiki.
But Pasma deputy secretary in East London Xolani Radebe said they were planning to ensure they retained the campus.
“We have started with our campaigning, but we are still at the initial stage of our campaign,” said Radebe.
As part of campaigning, Pasma will hold a talent show on Friday dubbed
where students will be entertained by fellow students in dance, drama, music and poetry.