DA WINS THE RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN FORT HARE SRC ELECTIONS

The Democratic Alliance Student Organisation "DASO" has again had to threaten another Eastern Cape University with legal action in order to be recognised as a bonafide student organisation.

The DASO landslide SRC victory of the Nelson Mandela Metro University Campus in PE on 18 September 2012 was a ringing endorsement of the DASO led SRC's leadership under its president Yusuf Cassim. The "right" to participate in this Universities SRC election was hard won as SASCO and the University tried everything to prevent DASO'S participation prior to 2011.

This situation again repeated itself at Fort Hare University where every effort to register as a participant in last year's SRC elections was deliberately thwarted by SASCO and the University leadership. Despite a written undertaking by the University to recognise DASO, for this year's election, they again reneged and sought to use every nefarious means at their disposal to prevent DASO's participation in the forthcoming SRC elections.

Despite me writing to the University Vice Chancellor, Dr Mvuyo Tom to request that he intervene in order to influence SASCO and the SRC to reconsider their unconstitutional and unilateral prevention of DASO's participation in the elections, we were again barred from participation.

The DA then on behalf of its affiliated student organisation (DASO) briefed attorneys and senior counsel in preparation to interdict the university and the SRC from proceeding with the elections. Every reasonable effort was made to acquire official recognition on the university before going the legal route, but the intransigence of the University and the SRC left us with no other avenue to pursue our constitutional right to participate in the SRC election.

The DA and DASO's determination to participate in this election was yesterday vindicated by the University and the SRC "changing" its mind and recognising DASO as a bona fide student/political society.

This has been a very disappointing saga, especially considering that the spurious reasons given for the non-recognition of DASO at Fort Hare University have been in direct contrast with the values and principles that their most famous alumni, former President Mandela went to jail for, for 27 years.

This small victory for DASO at Fort Hare is a massive victory for democracy on all tertiary campuses and indeed in South Africa.

Statement issued by Athol Trollip, DA Eastern Cape leader, October 16 2012

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