TUT Management pleased with record-breaking SRC elections

Prof Lourens van Staden, Vice-Chancellor and Principal.

Prof Lourens van Staden, Vice-Chancellor and Principal said the purpose of a student representative council (SRC) is to provide the university student body with a platform from which to engage with the institution’s management about the needs and wants of students, assisting them as much as possible. “The SRC mandate is derived from the process of annual elections that allow all students to vote for specific candidates and have access to their respective representative’s party or individual manifesto,” said Prof van Staden.

“University Management considers student leaders as important partners in service delivery improvement at the university. It is important for our students to participate in elections to ensure that their concerns do not end only on popular social media platforms, but are debated and addressed by the university structures. The participation is about amplifying your voice beyond challenges. We constantly emphasise that this system is the most democratic way to create this important student body, one that is tasked with helping the institution to manage and improve campus life,” added Prof van Staden

A total of 49,77% of students casted their votes in this year’s online SRC elections between14 and 16 September 2021. SASCO (South African Student’s Congress) and the EFFSC (EFF Student Command) lead the pack with an overall voter percentage of 32.8%.  They were each allocated 3 seats, with the Student Christian Organisation occupying one seat at the ISRC level. 

Dr Shadrack Nthangeni, Acting DVC: Student Affairs and Extracurricular Development.

Dr Shadrack Nthangeni, Acting DVC: Student Affairs and Extracurricular Development, said the 2021 elections were peaceful and well-conducted. "Although the elections were highly contested, no incidents of violent conduct or political intolerance were reported to my office during the entire election period," he said. 

He added that it was encouraging to see students complying with COVID-19 protocols throughout the elections and thanked the students who took their time to practice their constitutional rights to vote. “A great deal of time and effort went into adapting to the elections being online, but I really want to thank the students for their participation and ensuring a peaceful, free, and fair election process,” said Dr Nthangeni.

Dr Gugulethu Xaba, Director of Student Governance and Leadership Development (SGLD).

Dr Gugulethu Xaba, Director of Student Governance and Leadership Development (SGLD) said the levels of student participation in e-voting proved that the TUT students are tech-savvy and ready to embrace and use new digital technologies. “This made a momentous contribution to the achievement   of pillar 4 of the TUT 2020-2025 strategy, which is to make TUT a digitally advanced university. Additionally, it is important to note that these elections have led to the election of young women into powerful positions, which have traditionally been occupied by their male counterparts. Nokwnda Khumalo was elected the President General and Ntulikazi Maepane is the Convenor of the Institutional Student Parliament,” said Dr Xaba.

The SRC is a vital stakeholder within the Tshwane University of Technology, since various decisions require consultation with the SRC. Through these processes, the University continues to embrace the notion of co-operative governance.