High Court stops SRC election without AfriForum candidates

19 August 2016

The Western Cape High Court just instructed that no student council election will be held at the University of Stellenbosch (US) before the University’s student court provides AfriForum’s candidates with reasons for their disqualification from the student council election and they are afforded the opportunity to appeal against it.

This follows after AfriForum approached the Court with an urgent application to restore the candidature of the eight SRC candidates. An arrangement was reached between the parties which entails the US providing reasons for the student court’s verdict by Monday. It will enable the candidates to review the verdict or to appeal against it. This follows after a series of orders by the student court that led to the exclusion of AfriForum candidates from future SRC elections.

“This arrangement is a clear admission by the US that they have up until now acted malicious and procedural unjust towards AfriForum’s candidates. The fact that we first had to approach the High Court before we could be heard, underlines this,” says Bernard Pieters, AfriForum Youth’s Maties Campus Coordinator.      

The arrangement furthermore states that the US cannot continue with a new election before this matter has been resolved.

“This is not the first time that the US structures have acted unlawful against students. The student court followed the example of the management by simply pursuing their own political agenda and not acting in the best interest of the students. Today’s outcome also sends out a message that AfriForum Maties will not back away from anyone who wants to deprive students of their democratic rights. We are here to stay,” says Pieters.

AfriForum Maties would like to encourage students to participate in the SRC election: feel free to sign in on our Facebook page in order to participate in the activities of the AfriForum branch.     

Issued by Bernanrd Pieters, SRC Candidate: Chairperson, 19 August 2016