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SPORTING COMRADES
SPORTING COMRADES Throughout UWC’s history of sports and struggle, the SRC has stood firm in its commitments to student rights
By Dumisani Koyana
“S port has the power to change the world,” said Nelson Mandela. “It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than government in breaking down racial barriers.”
Truer words have never been spoken. Just ask the students and staff of the sports department at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). Student leadership and sports have played a huge role in shaping the futures of those who have walked this campus.
Some walked into the University grounds with the hope of attaining their qualifications to make a living for themselves and their families while others dreamt of glory on the field. UWC has been the foundation of some of the most well-known people in the country —in sports, politics and other fields. The likes of Danny Jordaan, Jakes Gerwel, Thembi Kgatlana and Deon Davids, to name a few, have all gone on to make their mark on the world.
But how does sports and student leadership interact? Student life is tough and time for recreation is needed to offload the anxiety and pressures of academic life. Yet, for studentathletes who attended UWC during the apartheid era, competing against other tertiary academic institutions was not an option. This later led to many struggles between students and the authorities on the unification of sports across the country.
Reverend Llewylyn MacMaster, the president of the 1984 Student Representative Council (SRC), is the definition of patience and resilience — and a past student who witnessed these struggles firsthand. Originally enrolling in 1976 for a Bachelor of Science (BSc), Rev MacMaster dropped out in 1978 to teach in Belhar; he returned to UWC in 1981 to study theology.
“I was elected as SRC president in 1984 and had a very long term in office,” he recalls. “ In 1985, we could not have the elections as there was a boycott on campus and that meant an extended term for me and my executive.
“In 1976, during the uprisings in the country, I was in my second semester. The University mobilised the community and engaged with
the students to play our role in the struggle. That was a very scary time for us. There was a hooter at around nine in the evening and if that hooter came on and you were in town or just walking around, you would be arrested. For me, that is where my political consciousness got awakened.”
This year, UWC celebrates 60 years of existence and the days of racial divides are no longer present on the campus. Instead, interaction amongst different races extends beyond the classrooms and onto the sports fields as well.
“In the 1980s, students took a stance that they will not play against any of the [then-white] institutions. We were under protest even though we were students and we did not want to give legitimacy to a racial institution,” says Rev MacMaster.
“Back then, it was not easy at all when it came to sports. Yes, we had intervarsity games with the University of Fort Hare, the University of Limpopo and the University of Kwa-Zulu-Natal but all of them were what you would call ‘black institutions’.
“Today we see our institution priding itself when it comes to sports and student leadership, and our players play alongside others of all races. This truly is a reflection of the amazing journey UWC has taken over the years and truly aligns with our motto of ‘Respice Prospice’ (meaning ‘look to the past and the future’ in Latin).
“We must ensure we record the history of the institution so that those who come after us see what they are standing on and ensure that the culture of this great university continues to be preserved.”
