PE College students protest over SRC seat allocation

NOT HAPPY: Daso members protest outside the main entrance of the Port Elizabeth College head office yesterday. They allege that last month’s SRC elections and seat allocations were unlawful. Picture: EUGENE COETZEE

PORT Elizabeth College DA Students Organisation members protested outside the institution’s main entrance yesterday, saying they had been cheated out of two seats on the student representative council.

The South African Student Congress (Sasco) won the college elections with eight seats, while the DA Student Organisation (Daso) and the EFF Student Command took three and one respectively.

Protesting outside the college’s Erica House head office in Richmond Hill yesterday, Daso members said they had boycotted the SRC induction.

College principal Khaya Matiso said the students claims were petty.

Daso constituency leader Helga van Staaden alleged that the election and the seat allocation of the new SRC was unlawful and their members objected to it.

She said Daso candidates had won three seats at the Qhayiya campus, one at Dower and one at Russell Road.

“However, the college management wants to allocate only three seats to Daso,” she said.

This was because the college was only willing to give one seat per campus to a part-time student, she said.

“The SRC constitution states that the SRC shall be composed of four members per campus.

“No reference is made to the number of Nated [parttime] vs NCV [full-time] students,” Van Staaden said.

“In this case, college management is of the view that the composition of the SRC should be one Nated student and three NCV students per campus.

“If indeed the seats were to be allocated in this manner, should there have been two different ballots for NCV and Nated?” she asked.

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