In a monumental move for Stellenbosch University (SU), Nomzamo Ntombela (21) has been elected as the first black female Chairperson of the Student Representative Council (SRC).
Ntombela, a final year BA Humanities student from KwaZulu-Natal, was elected as SRC president last week in a private election by the 2017 SRC members. This came after an error made by the Election Convenor, Dylan Swigelaar, raised questions as to whether she won the title fairly.
When reached for comment, Ntombela said: “I feel very excited for the term ahead. I look forward to working collaboratively with management and my team to ensure that we make all spaces on campus accepting of all students and to ensure that every single student has access to the university through its multiple forms of access”.
The newly elected SRC Chairperson also said in a statement published on the Stellenbosch University website that she would like to leave a mark, especially for women of colour and hoped to encourage others to recognise their self-worth.
Only 12.3% of SU students voted this year, reportedly one of the lowest voter turnouts compared to previous years.
Nwabisa Gcilitshana, one of the newly-elected SRC members and MFM presenter, said she was excited and proud to have Nomzamo as SRC president as it showed the progress that is occurring at SU with transformation.
“It is an opportunity to show that a woman is capable of leading a team in the SU context,” she said. She also said it is a step in the right direction of decolonisation.
Kamva Somdyala, also newly elected and former Editor of The Quote, is very proud of Ntombela. “As a black student, it is an opportunity to be led by someone who can, as far as possible, be able to identify with the needs of mainly black students on campus,” he said.
Newly elected SRC chairperson, Nomzamo Ntombela.