AfriForum Youth gets outright majority on UP SRC;
Charl Oberholzer elected as SRC president
In 2011 AfriForum Youth will have an outright majority on the Student Representative Council (SRC) of the University of Pretoria (UP). The national deputy chairperson of AfriForum Youth, Charl Oberholzer, was also today elected as SRC president for 2011.
The election took place yesterday during the constituent meeting of the newly elected student parliament. At the meeting it also had to be decided which members of the student parliament would serve on the SRC in 2011. The meeting lasted 12 hours. Opposition parties at the UP succeeded in forming a broad coalition in order to prevent SASCO from gaining control of student structures at the university.
Because AfriForum Youth won the recent student parliament election at the UP by 1 762 votes, AfriForum Youth played a leading role in the coalition. Student organisations that formed part of the coalition were AfriForum Youth, DA, Cope, FF+, Genesis and UPI (UP international students).
The newly elected presidency of the RSC for 2011 is as follows:
President: Charl Oberholzer (AfriForum Youth)
Deputy president: Helgard Cronje (VF+)
Secretary general: Katlego Malatji (Cope)
Treasurer-general: Liza-Mari Coetzee (AfriForum Youth)
The remaining 17 members elected to the RSC are as follows:
Anne Thiart
Johannes Muller
Hugo Kruger
Leonaye Massyn
MM Nkosi
Anzel Steyn
Thebogo Twala
Tjaart de Lange
Quinten Botha
Mark Voster
Jaide Schempers
Simiso Ntlozi
Micheal Matlapeng
Kendi Mwabila
Gillian Siwela
Duncan Platt
Nadine van de Haar
Oberholzer said that he was delighted about the result of the meeting and that the SRC will achieve at least three large victories for students in 2011, namely:
1. Promoting Afrikaans at the UP;
2. Obtaining a comprehensive student rights manifest at the UP; and
3. Protecting hostel traditions.
"This was the first year in which AfriForum Youth participated in the student council election and the reception by students was overwhelmingly positive. We received a mandate from students to take a stand for Afrikaans, hostel traditions and student rights, and we will not disappoint them," Oberholzer said.
Oberholzer added that they are especially glad that a broad coalition could be formed and that the ANCYL-affiliated SASCO could thereby be kept out of the SRC. "SASCO has a reputation for their aggressive attitude towards Afrikaans and hostel traditions as well as their campaigns to implement stricter quotas at the UP. By standing together, we were able to stop them."
Statement issued by Ernst Roets, National chairperson: AfriForum Youth, October 5 2010
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