As Stellenbosch University (SU) students enter the second semester of the year, various student leadership election proceedings have officially commenced and will take place in-person for the first time in two years.
This is according to Yanga Keva, chief electoral officer and chairperson for the Electoral Commission of SU’s Student Representative Council (SRC).
Since 2020, Stellenbosch University’s Student Representative Council (SRC) “have gone over and above” to ensure that running for SRC elections is easy, claimed Yanga Keva, chief electoral officer and chairperson for the Electoral Commission of Stellenbosch SRC. The SRC extended the nomination period by 20 days, decreased the number of signatures required to nominate each candidate from 200 to 20, and granted an extended period for those signatures to be collected post-application. SRC applications and nominations closed 20 July. PHOTO: Supplied/Yanga Keva
One of the greatest differences between the 2022 elections and the elections of 2020 and 2021 is the return of in-person mediums as opposed to the use of online platforms, said Keva.
“The Covid-19 restrictions which plagued the last two years of elections are finally over,” said Keva. “It is going to be a welcome change, because it’s going to bring back a human face to the candidates.”
For the majority of SU’s undergraduate students, this year will mark their first experience of face-to-face election procedures, such as in-person caucuses and campaigning, said Keva.
Apathy and participation
Student participation in this year’s electoral processes has been “very, very, severely poor”, said Keva. He expressed strong concerns on behalf of the Electoral Commission.
Initially, online platforms produced an increase in student participation in 2020, according to Keva. However, the onset of online fatigue meant that 2021 saw a dramatic decline in student electoral participation, he explained.
“Participation is not just a right, it is most importantly a responsibility,” said Keva. “Unfortunately, it seems that students, much like all young people in our country, have become paralysed by apathy,” he claimed.
The Electoral Commission of Stellenbosch University (SU) is responsible for the management and oversight of the election proceedings for over 200 student leadership bodies at SU, according to Yanga Keva, chairperson of the commission. AUDIO: Jessica Hillier
“The SRC, for the past two years, has worked hard to restore its footing in the institution and perception amongst students,” said Viwe Kobokana, the current SRC chairperson, via email correspondence with MatieMedia.
“It’s important that there is a continuation of the legacy of the excellent projects that assisted students,” said Kobokana.
Working together
In light of student leadership’s recent responses to the social injustices present at SU, the burden will lie on prospective student leaders to “start working together as student bodies”, said Keva.
“Stellenbosch has a really unique leadership landscape compared to most other universities,” said Werner van der Merwe, treasurer of SU’s Prim Committee. “The campus is very community-driven.”
“I’m excited to welcome new leaders who bring a fresh perspective and will come with new innovative ways to fulfil their constitutional mandate towards students and work with the university where necessary,” said Viwe Kobokana, the outgoing chairperson of Stellenbosch University’s Student Representative Council. GRAPHIC: Sourced/SU Website
Student leadership is of crucial importance, because students know what students need, said Sinethemba Dlamini, SU’s cluster convenor executive.
“I hope that our candidates this year will be the face of bravery, and will be the face of change that our institution so desperately needs,” said Keva.
The SU student election period for all student leadership bodies will end on 30 August, stated Keva.