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The impact of political influences on university governance structures

09 September 2021 | Story Dr Nitha Ramnath

The university of the Free State is pleased to invite you to a lunchtime webinar titled, The impact of political influences on university governance structures.

The political turmoil that disrupted different regions in South Africa in July 2021 has resulted in a renewed focus on the collective responsibility of higher education institutions to assist in solving the key challenges of poverty, inequality, unemployment, and violence in societies. We believe a specific area that needs to be explored more deeply, is how political complexities influence university governance structures. Join our panel of experts for what promises to be an insightful discussion.

Facilitator:

Vuyo Mvoko

Anchor: SABC

Panel:

Prof Mohamed Saleem Badat

Research Professor: College of Humanities, University of KwaZulu-Natal

Prof Thuli Madonsela

Law Trust Chair, Professor: Social Justice and Law, Stellenbosch University

Prof Chitja Twala

Vice-Dean: Faculty of the Humanities, University of the Free State

Prof Hermann Giliomee

Internationally renowned historian

Date: Wednesday, 22 September 2021

Time: 14:30

RSVP: Alicia Pienaar, pienaaran1@ufs.ac.za by 20 September 2021

Biographies of facilitator and speakers:

Vuyo Mvoko

Mvoko is the anchor of The Watchdog, a prime-time current affairs show that attracts the biggest names in politics and public policy. It airs weekdays 20:00-21:00 on the SABC News channel (404 on the DSTV platform).

A seasoned journalist with almost 30 years of experience, he previously occupied several senior editorial positions, including stints as political editor for broadcasters such as the SABC and ENCA. He has also written columns for publications such as Business Day, Forbes Africa, and The Herald.

Mvoko holds BA and MA degrees, and as part of the ‘SABC 8’, was the co-recipient of the 2016 Nat Nakasa Award for ‘courageous and fearless journalism’.

Prof Mohamed Saleem Badat

Saleem Badat is Research Professor in the College of Humanities, University of KwaZulu-Natal. He is the former vice-chancellor of the university currently known as Rhodes University and was the first chief executive officer of the Council on Higher Education. Between 2014 and 2018, he was the programme director of International Higher Education and Strategic Projects at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in New York.

Saleem’s books include The Forgotten People: Political Banishment under Apartheid, Black Student Politics: Higher Education and Apartheid, and Black Man, You are on Your Own; the co-authored National Policy and a Regional Response in South African Higher Education, and the co-edited Apartheid Education and Popular Struggles in South Africa. His book chapters, journal articles, policy reports, and newspaper opinion pieces concern questions of equity, redress, and social justice in and through universities, and the decolonisation and transformation of universities in colonised societies.

Prof Thuli Madonsela

Prof Thulisile ‘Thuli’ Madonsela is the Law Trust Chair in Social Justice and a Law professor at Stellenbosch University. She is also the founder of the Thuma Foundation, an independent democracy leadership and literacy public benefit organisation, and is a widely published author.

A multiple award-winning legal professional with more than 50 national and global awards, and an advocate of the High Court of South Africa, Prof Madonsela served a seven-year term as the Public Protector of South Africa. She is credited for transforming the institution by enhancing its effectiveness in promoting good governance and integrity, and anticorruption in state affairs. Prof Madonsela has a global reputation for integrity, and strongly advocates for fearlessly enforcing accountability and justice in the exercise of public power and the use of public resources.

Named one of the TIME100 most influential people in the world, Prof Madonsela is one of the drafters of the South African Constitution, and co-architect of several laws that have sought to anchor South Africa’s democracy. Among the laws she has helped draft are the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act (PEPUDA), the Employment Equity Act (EEA), and the Recognition of Customary Marriages Act. She is also a co-architect and founding Chairperson of the African Ombudsman Research Centre and is also co-founder and one of the inaugural leaders of the South African Women Lawyers Association (SAWLA).

Among numerous accolades, Prof Madonsela is a Paul Harris Fellow, recipient of Transparency International’s Integrity Award, the German Africa Prize, and African Anticorruption Crusader Award. She also spent a year at Harvard as an Advanced Leadership Fellow and is a Tallberg Global Leader, among others.

Prof Chitja Twala

Prof Chitja Twala is Associate Professor (Department of History) and Vice-Dean (Faculty of the Humanities) at the University of the Free State (UFS). He holds a PhD (History) from the same university. Twala has a substantial publication record on the history of liberation movements. He is the author of eight chapters (co-author of two) in The Road to Democracy in South Africa: Vol. 4 (1970-1990) and the Road to Democracy in South Africa: Vol. 6 (1990-1996), published in 2010, 2013, and 2019 respectively. He is the recipient of a Mellon Foundation grant and a National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS) grant. He had the following visiting/research fellowships: Harvard University (USA); Kwame Nkrumah Chair in the Institute of African Studies at the University of Ghana (Accra); and the University of California, Los Angeles (USA).

Prof Hermann Giliomee

Hermann Giliomee was born in Sterkstroom in 1938 and grew up in the Western Cape. He first taught History at Stellenbosch University and then Political Studies at the University of Cape Town. He has been a visiting fellow at Yale University, the University of Cambridge, and the Woodrow Wilson Centre in Washington DC. He has often published opinion pieces in South African newspapers. He is married to Annette van Coller.

News Archive

Student leaders 2012/13 announced

2012-08-30

Ready for the task - Sabelo Khumalo, SRC President of the Qwaqwa Campus and William Clayton, SRC President of the Bloemfontein Campus.
Photo: Johan Roux
31 August 2012

The 2012/13 elections for the Student Representative Councils (SRC) of the University of the Free State were completed successfully and show meaningful support for the changes in student governance adopted by students across campuses over the past two years.

The SRC elections at the Qwaqwa Campus were completed on 23 August 2012, while the elections at our Bloemfontein Campus took place on 27 and 28 August 2012.

The SRC Elections at our Bloemfontein Campus showed a voter turnout of 4516 votes (30.8%), with the elections at the Qwaqwa Campuses showing 1753 votes (46%) – both campuses reached the required quorums and the IEA (Bloemfontein Campus) and IEC (Qwaqwa Campus) declared the elections free and fair and announced the results as a true reflection of the will of the student bodies at the campuses.

The full SRC at Bloemfontein Campus now consists of 62% black and 38% white, and 53% female and 47% male members.

In the Qwaqwa elections, SADESMO achieved 46, 38% of the vote, with SASCO, PASMA and NASMO each achieving 30,23% and 8,39% and 14,26%, respectively.

The successful elections at Bloemfontein Campus show that the detailed transformation of student governance introduced by students at the Campus in 2010 and adopted by the university in 2011, succeeded in mobilizing greater participation of students in governance and representation. These changes in the main included a shift to independent candidacy for elective portfolios (12 seats) and organizational candidacy in nine sub-councils that holds ex officio seats on the SRC. Changes also included the establishment of student representative seats in faculty governance and management forums and the adoption of a reviewed Central SRC Constitution. Ex officio seats hold full and equal constitutional authority in the SRC.

Students at Qwaqwa Campus introduced additional portfolios to its SRC, including ex-officio seats for academic affairs, arts and culture, commuter students, Rag Community Service, religious affairs, residences and sports.

A joint sitting of the Campus SRCs will establish the Central SRC 2012/13 on 9 September 2012.

As a further opportunity for participation in and the development of student governance and representation, the current Central SRC herewith also announces its recent adoption of a student governance advisory programme, namely the UFS Student Elders Council (SEC).

The SEC is established as a combined programme between the Central SRC and the Dean of Student Affairs and will consist of selected senior student leaders from all campuses who completed their terms of office, apply and are appointed to the Elders Council by the Central SRC.

The Council will serve as an advisory structure to the Central SRC and other student structures in support of the continuous development of student governance and representation of the student body at the university.

The SEC will advise the Central SRC to be constituted following the constitution of the respective Campus SRCs.

The SRC members at the Bloemfontein Campus are:

President: Mr William Clayton

Vice-President: Mr Bonolo Thebe

Secretary: Ms Karis-Robin Topkin

Treasurer: Mr Pieter Coetzee

Arts & Culture: Ms Chanmari Erasmus

Accessibility & Student Support: Ms Gene McCaskill

First-generation Students: Ms Tanya Calitz

Legal and Constitutional Affairs: Ms Nokuthula Sithole

Media, Marketing & Liaison: Ms Neo Chere

Sport: Mr Tshepo Moloi

Student Development & Environmental Affairs: Ms Thabisile Mgadi

Transformation: Ms Koketso Mofokeng

Dialogue & Ex officio: Associations Council: Mr Anesu Ruswa

Academic Affairs & Ex officio: Academic Affairs Council: Ms Nombuso Ndlovu

Residence Affairs & Ex officio: Residences Council: Mr Johann Steyn

City Residence Affairs & Ex officio: Commuter Council: Mr Michael van Niekerk

Postgraduate Affairs & Ex officio: Postgraduate Council: Mr Fadeyi Akinsuyi

International Affairs & Ex officio: International Council: Ms Tumelo Moreri

Student Media Affairs & Ex officio: Media Council: Mr Jamal-Dean Grootboom

RAG Community Service & Ex officio: RAG Fundraising Council: Mr Jaco Faul

RAG Community Service & Ex officio: RAG Community Service Council: Ms Keneue Mahloana

The SRC members at the Qwaqwa Campus are:

President General: Mr S Khumalo

Deputy President: Mr P T Lenka

Secretary General: Mr D Khethang

Treasurer General: Mr S I Sithole

Media & Publicity: Mr S N Ntombela

Politics & Transformation: Tbc

Student Development & Evironmental Affairs: Tbc Academic Affairs: Mr T Molawude

Arts & Cultural Affairs: Mr T Nkohli

Off-Campus Students: Mr B Mtshali

RAG, Community Service & Dialogue: Ms S F Mlotya

Religious Affairs: Ms D C Khau

Residence & Catering Affairs: Ms Z Mzolo

Sports Council: Mr S Mngomezulu

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