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Colloquium puts Cosas in spotlight

07 August 2019 | Story Thabo Kessah and Selloane Mile | Photo Thabo Kessah

Dr Tshepo Moloi Gille de Vlieg Prof Monique Marks Zama Khanyesa read more — Dr Tshepo Moloi (far left) with some of the panellists during the Cosas Colloquium: Gille de Vlieg, Prof Monique Marks, and Zama Khanyesa (Cosas President, 2015-2017).

They came from near and far; the attendees were both from the founding and the contemporary generation – up to the current President, John Macheke. This was reflected in the guest and speaker lists of the colloquium, which was hosted by the Qwaqwa Campus Faculty of the Humanities and the TK Mopeli Library to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Congress of South African Students (Cosas).

Acknowledging Cosas pioneers

“The two-day colloquium was aimed at enabling all Cosas generations to engage meaningfully, while highlighting the role of its leaders in the struggle for a democratic system of education and country,” said the organiser, Dr Tshepo Moloi from the Department of History.

“We must appreciate the founders of Cosas, as they have not been adequately acknowledged in the democratic dispensation. The organisation fought many battles – one of which was to enable many of us to finally register at institutions of higher learning when it was not as fashionable as it is now,” said Patrick Letsatsi from the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture (DSAC).

Letsatsi also expressed the DSAC’s mission of facilitating such dialogues on matters of national interest. “Talking enables us to see that burning a library when we need a road is not the right way of dealing with matters,” he said.

Limited research on Cosas

On the academic research front, it is clear that minimal work has been done to reflect on the role played by Cosas over the years. “There is limited scholarly research on Cosas,” said Prof Noor Nieftagodien, the Head of the History Workshop at the University of the Witwatersrand.

“Despite this, we know for a fact that the founding members of Cosas found themselves under serious threat from the state. They were detained almost immediately after its formation in 1979, yet the organisation continued to produce leaders who not only played a pivotal role in the underground movement and formation of youth congresses and trade unions, but also in the shaping of our democratic state,” he argued.

The colloquium also featured Prof Monique Marks, who spoke at length about Cosas in the 1980s and the 1990s. There was also a presentation and photo exhibition by veteran anti-apartheid activist and former member of the Black Sash, Gille de Vlieg, whose photographs back then were inspired by the energy of the students. Other panellists were, among others, founding members Oupa Masuku, Vusi Gqoba, Super Moloi, Titi Mthenjane, and former Free State MEC, Oupa Khoabane.

The colloquium was hosted in partnership with the national Department of Sports, Arts and Culture and the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS).

News Archive

A new dawn for student governance

2011-09-02

Our SRC presidents: Richard Chemaly (Bloemfontein Campus) and Bongani Ncgaca (Qwaqwa Campus)
Photo: Hannes Pieterse

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The successful and peaceful completion of the University of the Free State’s (UFS) Student Representative (SRC) elections 2011 herals a new dawn for student governance with the announcement of the results today (1 September 2011).

The SRC elections at the Qwaqwa Campus were completed on 25 August 2011, while the elections at our Bloemfontein Campus took place on 29 and 30 August 2011.

“A new dawn heralds a new day when Richard Chemaly, the son of Lebanese immigrants becomes President of an SRC, as elected by students from all racial backgrounds and from across the student body at large. A new day has arrived when candidates could have won voter support across racial lines; a new day is here when all SRC members are now recognised leaders on the basis of academic accountability,” the Dean of Student Affairs, Mr Rudi Buys, says.

A new dawn has arrived; firstly, insofar as student elections for the choice of student leaders at the UFS now proceed according to a non-racial and a non-party political basis.

Not only did the SRC elections at both the Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa Campuses achieve its required quorum, with 31% (4 729 votes) and 50% (2 112 votes) voter turnout, respectively, but the SRC elected by students at the Bloemfontein Campus is 55% black and 45% white, and 60% female and 40% male. The numbers of votes gained by successful candidates also indicate that voters from all racial backgrounds have voted for their candidates of choice.

Secondly, a new dawn has arrived insofar as student governance occupied by only some student groups claiming to speak on behalf of all students has made way for direct voting for candidates by the broad student body and the threefold increase of student governance structures on campus.

Not only did all students at our Bloemfontein and Qwaqwa Campuses (a total of 15 173 and 4 257, respectively) have the opportunity to participate in voting directly, but nine additional Student Councils were established at our Bloemfontein Campus that each holds an ex officio seat on the SRC and allows for student governance in all the major student sectors of the student body, such as for postgraduate students, international students and all categories of student associations.

The various councils now established include the Student Academic Affairs Council, the Student Associations Council, the Postgraduate Student Council, the International Student Council, the Student Media Council, the Residences Student Council, the Commuter Student Council and the Rag Community Service Fundraising and Service Councils. In addition, all faculties also introduced student representative structures at departmental and faculty level in 2011 to ensure student participation in faculty management and governance.

The SRC members at the Bloemfontein Campus are:

Elective portfolios:
President: Mr Richard Chemaly
Vice-President: Mr Lefata David Maklein
Secretary: Ms Matshepo Ramokgadi
Treasurer: Mr Werner Pretorius
Arts & Culture: Ms Alta Grobelaar
Accessibility & Student Support: Mr William Clayton
First-generation Students: Ms Petre du Plessis
Media, Marketing & Liaison: Ms Biejanka Calitz
Sport: Mr Bonolo Thebe
Student Development & Environmental Affairs: Ms Busisiwe Madikizela
Transformation: Ms Qaqamba Mhlauli

Ex officio portfolios:
Dialogue & Ex officio: Associations Student Council: Mr Anesu Ruswa
Academic Affairs & Ex officio: Academic Affairs Student Council: Mr Jean Vermaas
Residence Affairs & Ex officio: Campus Residences Student Council: Ms Mpho Mokaleng
City student Affairs & Ex officio: Commuter Student Council: Ms Annemieke Plekker
Postgraduate Affairs & Ex officio: Postgraduate Student Council: Ms Glancina Mokone
International Affairs & Ex officio: International Student Council: Mr Pitso Ramokoatsi
Student Media Affairs & Ex officio: Student Media Council: Ms Nicole Heyns
RAG Community Service & Ex officio: RAG Fundraising Council: Ms Iselma Parker
RAG Community Service & Ex officio: RAG Community Service Council: Ms Motheo Pooe

In the Qwaqwa elections, SASCO achieved 36,84% of the vote, with SADESMO, PASMA and NASMO each achieving 29,73% and 18,56% and 12,74%, respectively .

Mr Bongani Ncgaca was elected as the President of the SRC at our Qwaqwa Campus, while the names of the SRC members at the campus will be announced on 7 September 2011.

The Central SRC will be established on 8 September 2011 by a joint sitting of the two SRCs.

The successful completion of the SRC elections at the Bloemfontein Campus follows a yearlong review process of student governance by a Broad Student Transformation Forum (BSTF) that consists of 59 delegations from student organisations and residences. The BSTF adopted independent candidacy for elective portfolios and additional student councils to provide ex officio seats on the SRC as the template for student governance, following the consideration of a series of benchmarking reports on student governance nationally and internationally.

The UFS Council adopted the new SRC Constitution, as drafted and submitted by the BSTF, on 3 June 2011.

Media Release
1 September 2011
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Director: Strategic Communication
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: news@ufs.ac.za

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