Varsity
SINCE
1942
THE OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN
30 September 2014
VOLUME 73: EDITION 11
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A DASO dominated SRC
Image: E10 - N - SRC 2015 Candidates - P - [UCT SRC]
Laurie Scarborough he 2015 Student Representative Council (SRC) elections took place across UCT campus from September 15th to September 19th. Thirty candidates ran for 17 seats on the SRC with the two SASCO candidates dropping out of the race shortly after voting started. Paper ballot votes were counted on September 20th. In order for the SRC to be properly constituted, at least one quarter of undergraduate, honours and post-graduate diploma students are required to vote. It was unclear whether this requirement would be met during the vote-counting, however, after the final votes were tallied, 29% of these students voted. The total number of votes across all students was 5738, almost 1000 less than last year. After the vote count, the 2015 SRC will be DASO dominated with all 10 DASO candidates being elected, making the 2015 SRC almost 60% DASO. Only three of the 11 Aluta candidates were elected, while all three independent candidates and one BLVCK candidate were elected. None of the SASCO, IRIS or Direct Democracy candidates w
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ere elected. This DASO majority could potentially have an impact on the constituting of the 2015 SRC and the allocation of portfolios. The 17 portfolios of the SRC are assigned based on an internal vote of the SRC. “It honestly worries me, I wish not to be pessimistic. But I do fear for some students and how well they will be represented,” says Nomsa Makgabenyana, current SRC International Students Coordinator. She further commented that the dominance of a single party within the SRC could possibly create a council which is not representative of the diversity of UCT students and their views. DASO could then have complete control regarding portfolio allocations. This could result in them selecting their own candidates first for preferred portfolios, leaving the independent, Aluta and BLVCK candidates to have the left-over portfolios. Jessica Breakey, the current SRC Transformation Coordinator, says, “[The constituting meeting] is also important for team dynamics. People who don’t get their desired portfolios may be very upset and not work well in the team or in their portfolio.”
The most influential portfolios, with regards to the actions of the SRC, are the three presidential seats – President, Vice-President Internal and VicePresident External. However, even if DASO candidates do not assume these positions, their majority on the council means they will have considerable influence within the 2015 SRC. The SRC could be adversely affected as most votes, debates and issues that take place in the SRC for the year could be automatically dominated by the DASO candidates. If the DASO candidates vote en masse, on behalf of their own constituency, and not on behalf of the students, loopholes will be created in terms of accountability and transparency. This DASO majority is comparable to the National Assembly, which has just over a 60% ANC majority. A UCT Faculty Council Chairperson adds, “DASO has gained complete control over the structure of the incoming SRC.” Another source of concern on the matter is that the DASO candidates have apparently signed contracts that “bind them to DASO’s agenda, not permitting opposing stances of DASO,” says the Faculty Council Chairperson.
These contracts, have been put into effect as of this year because “DASO members of the 2013 SRC took stances which opposed DASO’s, splitting its representative cohort and its effect”. In this “crucial” time for student governance in which we battle contentious issues such as the new Admission Policy or the new NSFAS conditions for financial aid, “Student governance cannot afford a step backwards. Not now.” There have also been questions raised around campaign expenditure. Each candidate who ran for SRC was allowed a maximum budget of R660 and was given 100 posters and 100 pamphlets. All of the DASO candidates, and one elected independent candidate, Zizipho Pae, failed to meet the requirements for the campaign as they did not submit their actual expenditure by the end of voting. This could result in sanctions being imposed upon candidates, which the Election Commission is currently still deliberating over. Sanctions could likely include a fine and community service. Only three elected candidates submitted their expenditure reports and receipts on time, thus meeting the requirements. These were: Oyama Botha, Ramabina Mahapa, and John
Rammutla – all three of which are Aluta candidates. The elected candidates will now undergo handover and will prepare for their take over on November 1st. The elected candidates are as follows, with provisional vote counts indicated in brackets: Zizipho Pae (2507) – Independent, Oyama Botha (1958) – Aluta, Sean Woodgate (1906) – DASO, John Rammutla (1864) – Aluta, Greg Keal (1806) – DASO, Jessica Pollock (1770) – DASO; Ramabina Mahapa (1665) – Aluta; Thato Pule (1461) – BLVCK; Baz Pinini (1437) – DASO; Sechaba Nkitseng (1331) - Independent ; Alex Lansdowne (1264) – DASO; Nicole Mirkin (1247) – DASO; Ndondo Nzama (1233) – DASO; Jonathan Yankelowitz (1213) -DASO ; Avishek Dusoye (1209) – Independent; Simeon Brown (1199) – DASO; and William Cahill (1197) – DASO. The constituting meeting is an open meeting which will take place this week, and students are able to observe this sitting. The date for the constituting meeting can only be set after the spending reports are submitted and approved. At the time of printing, the date of the constituting meeting was not yet set.
IN THIS ISSUE
Image: wikipedia.org/Jonathunder
Nashua printing
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Singled-out
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SRC reports
CENTRE
UCT Tribunal
PAGE 10
Fashion in sport
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