BY KIRSTY BUCHOLZ
AFTER postponing the election of the 2019/2020 SRC Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson since September last year, the election took place on Friday, 7 February.
According to the minutes of a Student Parliament meeting held on 3 October last year, the original election date was postponed due to the fact that “the Military Academy captain had not been elected” as well as “allegations were made on social media pertaining to some newly elected SRC members”.
Three of the SRC members were investigated by an Extraordinary Sexual Harassment Advisory Panel after allegations of sexual misconduct were levelled against them.
The Panel, however, concluded that there were no grounds for disciplinary action against the accused individuals, and advised the proceeding of the elections.
Three SRC members stood as candidates for the position of Chairperson and after confusion over the proxy votes allocated to the SRC members, Lewis Mboko, a BCom (Economic Sciences) student, was voted in as Chairperson.
Following the election of Chairperson, there were three deadlocks for the position of Vice-Chair. None of the candidates could reach the positive vote, which is 50% plus one vote of the SRC members who voted.
Due to the time constraint and as per the constitution, Mboko made the decision to postpone the election of the Vice-Chair to 12 February. The other executive positions will also be voted for then and the election will take place at 18:00 in the SRC’s Boardroom on the fourth floor of the Neelsie.
In his speech for candidacy, Mboko stressed the need to work “hard, smart, efficient[ly], and most importantly together” to approach the problems of students.
“It is my vision to build a strong, unified, selfless and student-caring team,” he said.
Mboko said he aims to tackle issues such as gender-based violence, student debt, shuttle transport, food insecurity, xenophobia and homophobia.
By the end of his term, Mboko envisions “an inclusive Stellenbosch University, where your race, your religion, your sexuality, your financial status and your country of birth are no barrier to you reaching your full potential.”
