Evidence wa ka Ngobeni
Student political organisations at Technikon Witwatersrand have collapsed because they have failed to find roles in the new South Africa.
“The leadership here has been weakening because students are not united in dealing with issues which affect them,” said student affairs official Andy Dass. “Student political organisations before the 1994 elections were united in fighting for a common goal, but now most of the things they were addressing are being addressed at management level.”
Dass confirmed that three of the technikon’s student political organisations had failed to qualify for funding because they could not attract the required 30 members from among the institution’s more than 1 000 students.
Dass said deterioration of student leadership at the technikon had also been caused by many student leaders leaving the technikon for positions in the government and the private sector.
“We have identified that student leaders at the technikon lack the skills to engage in policies and management-level decisions,” said Dass.
Technikon students interviewed by the Mail & Guardian this week said student political parties were not addressing their problems.
An official at the student affairs department, who did not want to be named, said the lack of interest in campus politics involves South Africa’s “transformation crisis” of student organisations.
Student governance and leadership of the technikon hit an all-time low last year because of “weakening leadership”, said Dass.
Last year three members were suspended from the SRC executive, and the SRC was later dissolved, said Dass.
Student affairs officials this week met students and former student leaders in a bid to iron out problems faced by student governance.
“The two-day summit found the SRCs were not skilled to discuss issues like fee increments,” said Dass.
But the summit agreed to re-establish the SRC. This week the students were preparing for SRC elections on Monday.
Dass said the only student political organisation that qualifies for funding at the technikon is the South African Student Congress. It has a strong leadership and enjoys support among students.