Victory! EFFSC UP’s SR candidates suspended after pressure from AfriForum Youth

14 September 2023

Today, AfriForum Youth achieved a huge victory in the interest of all students at the University of Pretoria (UP) and with this helped to ensure that there will be no place for radical, racist organisations in leadership structures at this university. This victory follows after it was announced earlier this morning that all eight elected student council candidates from the EFF Student Command (EFFSC) UP were disqualified due to their violation of student council election rules. This decision was taken by the university’s independent election monitoring panel, known as the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB). Among other things, the IMB is responsible for ensuring that the student council elections are free and fair.

In a letter to the university’s leadership last week, AfriForum Youth demanded that the EFFSC UP be deregistered as a student society and that their student representative council (SRC) candidates be suspended. AfriForum Youth also filed a complaint against the provisional SRC election results at this university as part of a protest action against the circumstances regarding the SRC elections. This was supported by more than 2 000 people who signed a petition regarding this. This opposition stems from the inexcusable manner in which the EFFSC UP has acted since the start of the voting process in this year’s SRC election on 5 September. The EFFSC UP took part in acts of intimidation, inciting violence, disrupting study sessions and fuelling racial tension.

“Regardless of which violation of the election rules was the final nail in the coffin for the disqualification of the EFFSC’s SRC candidates, this is a victory for all Tukkies students. An SRC who sings songs about murder, disrupts studies or intimidates students can never be recognised as leaders,” emphasises René van der Vyver, spokesperson for AfriForum Youth.

AfriForum Youth urges the university management to stick to this decision and not give in to intimidation and threats of violence that have been made since the announcement of the disqualification of the EFFSC’s SRC candidates. “The university has a responsibility to protect students and stop those who cause disruption. Students who feel unsafe can inform AfriForum Youth of any intimidation or violence,” concludes Van der Vyver.

Issued by René van der Vyver, Spokesperson, AfriForum Youth, 14 September 2023