Evidence wa ka Ngobeni
Student Representative Council (SRC) leaders have boarded the gravy train at South Africa’s universities and technikons.
Some are paid “honorary” salaries, while other benefits include free vehicles, cellphones, housing, meals and trips around the country.
SRCs also spend tens of thousands of rands each year on student bashes. And at one university, two top SRC officers are forgoing their studies because they are too occupied with their campus enterprises.
“SRCs today are only addressing periodic issues such as financial and academic exclusion in the beginning of the year … There are no consistent [student] programmes which progress through the year,” said Mdu Matlotoro, a former SRC president at Technikon Witswatersrand in Johannesburg. “They [SRC leaders] are more concerned with how many bashes and trips they are going to have.”
Matlotoro said Technikon Witswaters- rand’s SRC has an annual budget of more than R460 000. The SRC spends R60 000 on a freshers’ ball and more than R70 000 on residence balls at expensive hotels, he said.
He said SRC members are paid “honorary” salaries of R4 300 annually and are allocated free housing, pagers and cars.
Alex Gabashane, an SRC member at Technikon Northern Gauteng, said members receive salaries of R6 000 annually. He said this money is given to members to further their studies. In addition, Gabashane said, SRC member are provided with free cellphones, housing and meals.
The University of Venda recently budgeted more than R450 000, almost the SRC’s yearly budget, for the annual freshers’ ball. Students demanded each be given 30 cans of free beer at the ball.
At the University of Cape Town, the SRC president and deputy are registered students, but they have put their studies on hold because of their paid SRC activities. A source at the university said the SRC leaders will resume their studies after their term of office expires.
According to documents obtained by the Mail & Guardian, the University of the North SRC this year spent more than R1,3-million on items such as hired cars, catering and clothes.
The total income for the SRC last year was almost R1,7-million, but the SRC spent more than R2-million, according to the documents.
University documents revealed the SRC had spent more than R6-million in the past three years, and was running the campus as its private business.
At most universities and technikons, SRCs are funded by institution management and students. The Department of Education says it is not involved in internal budgeting of tertiary institutions. But sources in the department said the institutions’ finances are being hampered by rising student debts and reduced government funding while SRCs continue to increase their budgets.
These sources suggest that institutions review SRC funding since academic departments struggle to finance their programs while SRCs spend large amounts of money on entertainment and benefits for members.