UNIZULU Welcomes a New Cadre of SRC Members

To ensure that the collective voice of the students is heard, the University of Zululand recently held the Student Representative Council (SRC) elections and South African Student Congress candidate Lindelani Duze was voted as the president in the hotly contested elections.

University of Zululand Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof X.A Mtose congratulated the SRC saying that she is looking forward to a year of meaningful engagements with the SRC.

“Hearty Congratulations to the newly elected SRC and office bearers. The student body has placed its trust in you. This is a huge responsibility but also a great opportunity towards greatness. I am sure you will make the most of it. My colleagues and I look forward to a year of meaningful and innovative ways to deal with student issues, as we work together to find solutions in the best interest of university stakeholders,” Prof Mtose said.

“Lindelani is well placed for his role. He is a postgraduate student in a field of study that is indispensable for development and growth in our country and has the necessary maturity to lead our student body at this particular time so that we can go forward together.”

Duze who hails from Ladysmith, said that being a student leader has taught him to be independent, visionary and to determine his own future path. He is determined to make his term of office a success story and believes that change only comes through action. “I want to align positive movement of student goals and influence a culture that promotes quality,” said Duze.

The SRC elections took place on 14^th September 2017 at both university campuses in KwaDlangezwa and Richards Bay. Chief Electoral Officer, Titi Pitso, said the elections went off fairly smoothly and thanked all the contesting student organisations and individuals and the overall student population for coming out in their numbers to participate in the highly contested SRC Elections in 2017. Nonetheless, she acknowledged that the Electoral staff experienced a few challenges, but their experience, foresight and preparedness ensured challenges were properly addressed and the SRC Elections were a resounding success.

Through this dawn of a new era in student leadership we envisage that our students will be drawn into the transformation process through decisive leadership. We need to hear the legitimate pleas of all of our students, and not only of the most vocal. All students have to feature as the beneficiaries of transformation. So their participative and co-operative leadership is vital towards achieving strategic plan and business model grand targets.

– Gcina Nhleko

Pictured: Top row from left: Mondli Fananaye Xulu, Social and Transformation Officer; Musawenkosi Sharped Gina, Media, Events and Publicity Officer; Zama Noxolo Zuma, Legal, Constitutional and Human Rights Affairs Officer; Laurens Dumisani Simelane, Project and Internationalisation Officer; Simphiwe Mhlongo, Housing Committee Chairperson; Ntuthuko Gift Masondo, Richards Bay Campus Students Representative; Sduduzo Gumede, Academic Officer and Khayelihle Siyaya, Chairperson of Students with Different Abilities. Bottom row from left: Siyabonga Castro Mbandlwa, Treasurer General; Lindelani Duze, SRC President, Professor Xoliswa Mtose, UNIZULU Vice-Chancellor; Mduduzi Mnqayi, Secretary General; Ndumiso Ntshangase, Deputy President and Samukelisiwe Praiseworth Hlongwa, Deputy Secretary General.