UB management acting like mad cow � GC mayor
Kabelo Boranabi | Wednesday April 15, 2015 16:53
Gaborone mayor, Kagiso Thutlwe is displeased with the treatment of the newly elected University of Botswana (UB) Student Representative Council (SRC) by the institution’s management.
Thutlwe told Mmegi that the new members of the student body were legitimately voted, so management had no choice but to recognise them as the representatives of the student body. Thutlwe said the institution’s management recognised the elections, even providing the necessities needed for the electoral process.
“The UB management made the ballot papers and allowed the elections to go on. On election day security officers were deployed through the voting process and the electoral officer has been paid, therefore this shows that the UB management recognised the day of the elections and allowed elections to go on,” said Thutlwe, who is also the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) councillor for Village ward, which the UB falls under.
He said as the political representation, he was offering his assistance to both parties to help come to an understanding.
“When the management is acting like a ‘mad cow’, we know what to do to it, and we will also advise the students in that same manner so that the management can stop acting like a mad cow,” he said.
Thutlwe’s comments come amid revelations by the newly elected UB SRC president, Macdonald Kgosiekae that the management told them they were not recognised as a representatives of the student body. He told a press conference yesterday that the UB management snubbed the invite the student body advanced for their inauguration on April 8. It was only the following day on April 9, when they met with the UB Student Welfare Manager that they learnt that they were not recognised as the legitimate student representative body without giving reasons.
“The UB Deputy Vice Chancellor, Student Affairs Lydia Nyati-Shaleshando received elections from the Chief Electoral Officer, security officer and movements standing for the elections. We were told to wait for the UB council meeting in June so that we can be given reasons,” he said.
The outgoing UB-SRC secretary general, Motonto Motonto advised the SRC to continue with their duties as the constitution allows them to do so. “The student body have right to be represented and what the UB management its doing at the moment is wrong,” he said.
The student leaders are, however, not taking the issues lying down.
The UB-SRC vice president, Rearabilwe Ramaphane said the president and minister of academics affairs will go for the UB senate meeting today (April 15) as the constitution allows them to do so and if the management throws them out, they would hold a meeting with student body to discuss the way forward.
“The SRC is the only instrument the management uses to communicate with the students and we will also seek legal advice if the matter is not resolved,” said Ramaphane.
Efforts to source comment from UB public relations officer, Mhitshane Reetsang were unsuccessful as her mobile number rang unanswered. The UB-SRC in the past month took the institution’s management to the High Court over the ban of political parties at the institution of highest learning, but their efforts were unsuccessful.