Stellenbosch University’s (SU) Student Representative Council (SRC) took a vote via WhatsApp to join the South African Union of Students (SAUS) on 15 April. The decision to join SAUS would allow the SRC to participate in conversations about student-related issues across the country.
SAUS also provides a platform through which students can engage with the Department of Higher Education and Training.
According to the chairperson of the Student Representative Council (SRC), Lewis Mboko, the decision to join the South African Union of Students is a step in the right direction for Stellenbosch University and the SRC.
PHOTO: Lewis Mboko
The SU SRC had long been invited to the SAUS meetings to address student-related issues, said SRC chairperson Lewis Mboko.
According to Mboko, SU students face similar issues that students across the country face. Hence the SRC decided to join the SAUS to partake in student-centered conversations.
The vote followed an online meeting held via Microsoft Teams and facilitated by Mboko.
The results were confirmed by Fadeelah Williams, the secretary-general of the SRC, through screenshots. Two-thirds of the SRC executive members voted to join the SAUS.
However, the SU Societies Council chairperson, Yanga Keva, who serves as a member on the SRC executive committee voted against the joining of SAUS.
“Our affiliation with [SAUS] might be problematic in the long run. But this current SRC in its wisdom has determined that Stellenbosch must intensify its influence in the higher education sector and that this alliance will achieve that purpose,” said Keva.
Stellenbosch University’s Student Representative Council has voted to join the South African Union of Students.
PHOTO: Lewis Mboko
According to Mboko, the partnership between SAUS and the SRC is a positive way to move forward for SU and the SRC.
“If you look at SAUS and issues like [the National Student Aid Scheme] and other related issues that are discussed there – it is an SRC of all the universities in the country. So, going forward I think it is a positive thing,” he said.
“I strongly believe that there’s no other time to best join SAUS,” said Jeffery Hlamulo Ngobeni, chairperson of the Transformation Office who also serves as a member of the SRC.
According to Ngobeni, the SU is showing great leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic, especially pertaining to online learning.
Student-leadership and other institutions can learn a great deal from the manner in which SU is dealing with the Covid-19 crisis, Ngobeni said.
Stellenbosch University (SU) is not isolated in terms of some of the issues SU students face, says Lewis Mboko, chairperson of the Student Representative Council.
PHOTO: Matie Media Archives/Masego Mafata