The Rhodes University (RU) student ship is without a captain, following the sudden resignation of Student Representative Council (SRC) President Siyanda Makhubo.
The Rhodes University (RU) student ship is without a captain, following the sudden resignation of Student Representative Council (SRC) President Siyanda Makhubo.
Makhubo, who has led the student body since January, tendered his resignation after a controversial tweet about students' Duly Performed (DP) certification on Tuesday afternoon.
Makhubo posted a message on his personal twitter account where he ranted about how students tend to relax during the course of the semester, only to run to the SRC to help them keep their DPs prior to the exams.
According to the Rhodes Student Handbook, a Duly Performed (DP) certificate is a "certification that a student has met the minimum attendance and work requirements for a particular course".
It also states, “Students who do not obtain a DP certificate are normally not allowed to write the examinations that are set for that course, so in effect it constitutes permission to write the examination".
“Some of you stay being spicy and throwing shade but have DPs revoked. Now we must appeal for you. uLife unjalo friends [Life is like that]!” Makhubo posted on his personal twitter account.
He said that at although there were students who felt let down by the SRC, the tweet was his main reason for his immediate resignation.
“It gives me all the more sadness, therefore, to acknowledge the growing dissatisfaction of certain members of the student body of my personal decisions including those illustrated on my social networks including a tweet which compromised the integrity of the SRC.
"I am deeply sorry for it. Because I believe in the SRC institution [and]student governance, I have noticed the increasing disappointment of the electorate in my abilities as a leader and it’s best I leave office.”
The fourth year law student handed his resignation to the SRC Advisor, Eric Kweku Ofei and also posted it on social networking site Facebook in the evening.
Ofei said Makhubo’s resignation was accepted after attempts by several SRC colleagues failed to sway him.
He vehemently denied the existence of factions in the student leadership. “There are no factions. The SRC president was not asked to resign,” Ofei said. “He resigned on his own accord. Council is still united. These are very challenging times for the SRC but they are still united.”
Students had mixed feelings about his resignation on Facebook.
Buhle Marcia Moholi said: “The Best SRC president since I've been here! And I still don't regret voting for you as president!”
Brendon Peel said: “What's actually sad is that this is how you will be remembered as the SRC president, ‘The one who made some random tweet and then resigned because of it’.
What about all the good and even more potential good you could have done for this university? I guess the G16's will never know…”
Faith Nyasha Magwenzi posted: “I don't think it was about the tweet at all. Some people just wanted him to agree with their views and were waiting for the slightest mistake to force him out of office. I'm so sad Mr president".
Not every student expressed the same sadness. “Siyanda Buhle'bezwe Makhubo your decision to resign is welcome and in fact, long overdue," wrote Malaika Mahlatsi on Facebook,
"In my view, you should have been forced to step down after your comments about the need for the army to be deployed to deal with students whose only crime was to fight for institutional transformation.
In fact, you should have been forced to step down when you so boldly showed admiration for Dr Hendrik Verwoerd in your inauguration speech.
It was then that your incapacity to lead students who are on the receiving end of structural violence was exposed".
Makhubo told Grocott’s Mail on Wednesday that it was his respect for the SRC that led to his resignation after the tweet.
“Being president is about the person carrying the office and putting the interests of the students before anything else,” he said, adding that he was not completely lost to the SRC as he might play an advisory role to his successor.
Makhubo and the SRC came under a lot of criticism recently for their ‘neutral stance’ on the Rhodes University name change issue. Some students wanted decisive action from the SRC.
