The EFFSC emerged as the student formation to lead Mandela University students after more than 10 100 students – constituting about 34% of the overall student population – took to the polls on 24 and 25 March 2021.
Contesting student formations included the Democratic Alliance Students’ Organisation (DASO) and the South African Students’ Congress (SASCO). The latter had been leading the Mandela University SRC.
The EFFSC has secured four seats on the University’s Central SRC Executive, with SASCO at three and DASO at two. For the Local SRC structure, the premiers of four campuses – North, South, Second Avenue and Missionvale – are EFFSC, with the George Campus premier being of SASCO after standing unopposed.
The Dean of Students, Mr Luthando Jack, welcomed the students’ chosen representatives, saying he looked forward to engaging with the new SRC on matters of student life, wellbeing and development of students amongst others. “ The mandate of the SRC is to work as a collective to advance the cause of students, to defend their right to succeed using platforms that our Constitution protects, and that are elaborated in the university policies and constitution of the SRC,” he said.
“As an engaged and student-centric University, we believe in the importance of the agency of young people in delivering on our mandate to produce socially aware individuals who will go on to change the world for the better.
“We have fostered an open-door culture with student leadership over the years, which has essentially enabled us to keep our finger on the pulse of student issues through these ongoing engagements, and look forward to working with the new SRC in that regard.”
The Dean of Students said they were encouraged by the turnout to the University’s first virtual elections, so done in keeping with the prevailing COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
A total of 10 147 students voted, out of an overall student population of 29 482. That is a 34.4% threshold, with 20% being the minimum threshold as per the University’s SRC Constitution.
“This year, we saw a voter turnout that is about double what we have seen in the last two years. This could be seen as a sign of the continued, and perhaps growing, agency of our students,” he said.
The new SRC will be sworn-in in due course. Details of the investiture will be communicated once finalised.