UKZN: DA Blocked from contesting student elections

The Democratic Alliance (DA) Youth is concerned by the seeming violation of electoral procedures at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The University of KwaZulu Natal (UKZN) branch of the Democratic Alliance Student Organisation (DASO) has been informed that it will not be allowed to contest the SRC elections today at either the Howard College or Westville campuses, with the reason cited that DASO has not re-applied for recognition from UKZN.

This would be fair if such rules were consistent. According to these rules, the ANC-aligned South African Students Congress (SASCO), should not be allowed to contest the elections either. However, despite SASCO reportedly handing in their applications after the 17:00 deadline on Sunday 17 October, it is still be able to contest the election.

Well, what is fair? Why aren't the same rules being applied to all student political organizations at UKZN?

There appear to be a number of irregularities and misapplications of the constitution. Indeed, the DA Youth has in its possession a copy of the UKZN constitution which does not specify that an organisation needs to re-apply for recognition to contest SRC elections. However, going further back in this young university's history, this is not the first time that student political groups have been actively prevented from running for elections. In 2005, according to the student electoral rules of UKZN, only SASCO and UKZN's chapter of Amnesty International were eligible to run in university wide elections. Amnesty International is an NGO.

The Democratic Alliance has been unsuccessful in contacting the Dean of Students Mrs Deborah Masipa, who refuses to discuss the matter and has referred the matter back to the Student Government Officer. The Assistant Government Officer, however, is believed to be an active member of the Young Communist League, thus compromising the integrity of this office to be impartial. Further to this the Chief Electoral Officers at both Howard Campus and Westville Campus are both active members of the ANCYL and former SRC members. There is thus little evidence that DASO will receive a fair hearing on this matter from these officers . Indeed, the entire system of student elections in place at UKZN is so flawed that the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has already expressed strong procedural concerns.

The DA has received strong opposition from the University to contest previous elections. Disturbingly, UKZN as a whole has in the past, as an institution, shown a bias towards the ANC despite the tradition of universities to distance themselves, as institutions, from partisan politics. Before the 2009 election, the ANCYL had an election rally for Jacob Zuma and the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. MW Makgoba, openly declared the university's alleged support for Mr. Zuma's then-candidacy.

The DA will consider placing this issue before the university's council, seeking redress. Universities should be places where students should be able to express themselves, including for whom they choose to cast their vote- they should not have to be shackled by the election-rigging of an organization uncomfortable with the principles of democracy.

Statement issued by Mbali Ntuli, Democratic Alliance Youth Chairperson, October 20 2010

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