By By Magnificent Mndebele
The Open Journal’s Investigative Unit infiltrated UJ’s Central Student Representative Council and APK’s SASCO, and has come across information that SASCO is on the brink of a Cold War with its affiliates due to the looming tension that they desperately tried to hide from the public.
“SASCO is bleeding and it’s becoming weaker and weaker because of people who are power-mongers within the organisation, [people] who are willing to compromise everything including the students themselves that they claim to represent,” says Ratele Refiloe, an ANC Youth League convener.
Quotes to digest . . .
“SASCO is bleeding and it’s becoming weaker and weaker . . .”
“SASCO is siding with the management of the university for the sake of having power”
“Everything that EMCA did was incorrect… EMCA did not read the UJ Constitution . . .”
SASCO’s leaders and its affiliates have tried at least three times to gain positions for its representatives to fill certain portfolios but this was done in vain due to its Cold War that is likely to intensify.
“It does worry me because at the end of the day we are all divided [and] the next thing people are going to be contesting each other when they all know that SASCO is the student organisation, even the MDM tells us that SASCO is the only one that needs to contest,” says the Secretary of UJ-APK SASCO Branch, Palesa Molefe.
Currently, UJ does not have united campus members or a stable Central-SRC because of the on-going disputes.
Head to head: Betrayals of Forces
The Open Journal’s Investigative Unit understands that SASCO is the only recognised body that represents the students at UJ. However, SASCO’s affiliates within the Progressive Youth Alliance (PYA), namely: Young Communist League and ANC Youth League have entered into an agreement of sharing positions within the SRC.
The agreement states that SASCO and its affiliates should equally share positions based on the so-called Four-Four Masihlalisane. Each party must have four members representing them in the SRC. However, the other affiliates strongly accused SASCO members of betraying and compromising the agreement.
“SASCO is siding with the management of the university for the sake of having power”
“The PYA had a resolution before elections about how we are going to work. So, the arrangement went down to positions as who’s going to get what, and we’ve agreed. When that had to happen SASCO comes and says they did not know of the agreement and they will do things their own way,” says the ANC Youth League Convener, Ratele Refiloe.
The secretary of UJ-APK SASCO Branch, Palesa Molefe denies that SASCO may be violating the Four-Four Masihlalisane agreement and abusing its power due to it being the only recognised student movement by the institution.
“I don’t think it’s an abuse of power. You must understand that within the Alliance there is no set Constitution, so whatever decisions are there do not specifically bind SASCO,” she says.
The heavily criticized EMCA accused of being unconstitutionally
When the Secretary of UJ-APK SASCO Branch, Palesa Molefe was asked about the Four-Four Masihlalisa agreement she said: “No Comment.” Molefe is the one who unleashed a dispute on the first constituting of positions and Molefe is amongst those who are accused of wanting to grip power.
READ RELATED ARTICLE: Corruption incites EFFSC and DASO to boycott elections
Molefe says she unleashed a dispute by sending an email averting the constituting because there was an agreement that the constituting should have started at 2.p.m on the 18th of April 2017 but EMCA subsequently changed the time-slot of constituting to 11 a.m.
“Everything that [the] EMCA did was incorrect . . . EMCA did not read the UJ Constitution when it came to such things. You can’t be sending the wrong communique to a branch secretary. I do not think they liaised with Student Affairs about the list [of members who are elected to occupy the various positions],” says Molefe while explaining her unhappiness about EMCA.
EMCA’s Project Manager, Parmalat Ukatu said: “What I know is that EMCA followed all the correct procedures to get the job done.”
UJ’s Student Affairs may be abusing its power on student politics
After the initial dispute which Molefe confirmed to have requested the first constituting which unfolded on the 18th of April to be pre-empted because of time confusion. Again, on the 20th of April 2017, there was another constituting but other newly elected SRC members accused Student Affairs to be directly dictating the processes meanwhile it should be playing an observer role.
Quotes to digest . . .
“SRC is being held at ransom and it is prejudicing the interests of the students who voted us into office”
“. . . for him to be there as a President he was a spy for the VC (Vice Chancellor)”
“. . . please don’t ask me how I was an SRC [for] more than 2terms while you know I am an African child.”
On the second constituting only two members attended there to sign yet Section 11.1.1 of the SRC Constitution states that at least seven people should be there before it meets its constitutional merits. Therefore, the department of Student Affairs “legitimised this inconsistent and illegitimate process.”
“This is foul play as the department of Student Affairs is directly involved in the politics of the Progressive Youth Alliance and thus further creating a conflict of interest,” reads an email which The Open Journal’s Investigative Unit obtained that was sent to the Prof Ihron Rensburg.
“SRC is being held at ransom and it is prejudicing the interests of the students who voted us into office,” the email further reads.
The third reconstituting which was scheduled to take place on the 25th of April did not take place either as it is said that the Department of Student Affairs said there is a new constitution which therefore endorses SASCO to independently elect its SRC members without considering the PYA Four-Four Masihlalisane.
However, many SRC members are not aware of the so-called new constitution that the Department of Student Affairs is said to have introduced.
“ . . . this is the struggle of the Constitutions between the one that we know and the one that is being enforced,” comments a Central SRC member, Takalane Mutsharini while explaining the misunderstanding created by the so-called new constitution.
EMCA’s Project Manager also confirmed that EMCA did not receive any new SRC Constitution.
The legit Constitution was adopted on the 18th of September 2014, and for an amendment or a clause within the Constitution UJ Parliament must sit in, but that has never happened which strongly suggests that the so-called new Constitution could be fabricated.
“SRC is being held at ransom and it is prejudicing the interests of the students who voted us into office”
Hasan and the Student Affairs are accused of gambling the student politics
The heavily disputed so-called new Constitution which has caused SASCO and its affiliates to face the brink of simmering tensions, the Chairperson of SASCO at UJ-APK, Sabelo Mpangani states that the former President of SRC Hasan Abdulaahi Maalin which The Open Journal’s Investigative Unit understands to have been appointed by the management (Student Affairs) to be the president, is alleged to be the one who signed the new clauses of the Constitution.
“The person who knows everything about the clauses is the former President Hasan Abdullahi Maalin . . . that man is the one who caused all of this and that man is playing other dirty politics . . . ,” says APK-SASCO chairman, Mpangani.
“That man is always with the management and we must remember that man was not elected to be the president. His appointment you can was a sell-out . . . for him to be there as a President he was a spy for the VC (Vice Chancellor),” adds Mpangani.
Hasan’s Facebook photograph which he posted on the 16th of April 2017 with some Student Affairs representatives is accompanied with a description that says, “. . . I enjoyed working with you despite the challenges. But one thing they will remember is my meetings chairing or presiding . . . and pls don’t ask me how I was an SRC more than 2terms while you know I am an African child.”
Hasan Abdullahi Maalin’s mobile phone was off when contacted and he could not be reached when going for publication of the story.
Youth Chronicle 