PROMINENT political figures descended on the University of Fort Hare this week in anticipation of yesterday’s student elections.
Former Eastern Cape premier Nosimo Balindlela, national DA spokesman Mmusi Maimane and DA Youth federal chair hopeful Yusuf Cassim spoke at the Alice campus on Wednesday night during the Democratic Alliance Student Organisation (Daso) rally.
Balindlela, Maimane and Cassim joined the students’ singing and dancing ahead of the rally. Maimane said campus politics were a seminal part of developing new leaders in South Africa, and the DA encouraged young people to participate in party politics.
“It’s important for me and the party,” Maimane said, adding that de-politicised elections like those at Rhodes University “ don’t prepare young South Africans for a politicised world”.
“The world is politicised, and young people need to learn about this and develop as leaders,” Maimane said.
Student party politics was a way to identify and groom young leaders who showed potential, he added. “We can create the appeal for public service.”
Maimane said he was looking forward to engaging with young people. “This is the generation of South Africans that will be unhinged from the poisonous narrative of race,” he said.
“I hope these students can inherit a South Africa with incredible choice. Freedom is about choice,” he said.
Cassim, who co-founded Daso at the Nelson Mandela Metro University and is a former SRC president, said it was “the dawn of a new era”.
“It is up to us to usher it in,” he said. “The NMMU SRC was the worst in the country, with many administrative problems and people stealing money .”
“We believed in equal opportunities for access to education, and that wasn’t possible then,” Cassim said. “We asked the NMMU students to lend us their vote, and if they didn’t like what we did, they could take it back the next year.”
Last year Daso won the SRC elections by 75%, he said, which showed Daso’s relevance to students.
Cassim is also running for the position of federal chair of DA Youth.
At Wednesday night’s rally, Cassim told the 150 students gathered that Daso would ensure that the needs of students were addressed if they voted for it .
Balindlela told the students Daso stood for truth and better skills. “The future is in your hands, my children.”
Balindlela resigned from the ANC in 2008 to join COPE , but changed her allegiance to the DA in November last year. She has been campaigning around the province for the opposition party.
Maimane told the students that when South Africans voted in 1994, “we voted for a dream, which for many South Africans is a dream too far”.
“We are not here to build a white or black or Indian or coloured party. We are building a South African party.”
“That’s the party I signed up for.” —
Daso holds campus campaign unchallenged
Former Eastern Cape premier Nosimo Balindlela, national DA spokesman Mmusi Maimane and DA Youth federal chair hopeful Yusuf Cassim spoke at the Alice campus on Wednesday night during the Democratic Alliance Student Organisation (Daso) rally.
Balindlela, Maimane and Cassim joined the students’ singing and dancing ahead of the rally. Maimane said campus politics were a seminal part of developing new leaders in South Africa, and the DA encouraged young people to participate in party politics.
“It’s important for me and the party,” Maimane said, adding that de-politicised elections like those at Rhodes University “ don’t prepare young South Africans for a politicised world”.
“The world is politicised, and young people need to learn about this and develop as leaders,” Maimane said.
Student party politics was a way to identify and groom young leaders who showed potential, he added. “We can create the appeal for public service.”
Maimane said he was looking forward to engaging with young people. “This is the generation of South Africans that will be unhinged from the poisonous narrative of race,” he said.
“I hope these students can inherit a South Africa with incredible choice. Freedom is about choice,” he said.
Cassim, who co-founded Daso at the Nelson Mandela Metro University and is a former SRC president, said it was “the dawn of a new era”.
“It is up to us to usher it in,” he said. “The NMMU SRC was the worst in the country, with many administrative problems and people stealing money .”
“We believed in equal opportunities for access to education, and that wasn’t possible then,” Cassim said. “We asked the NMMU students to lend us their vote, and if they didn’t like what we did, they could take it back the next year.”
Last year Daso won the SRC elections by 75%, he said, which showed Daso’s relevance to students.
Cassim is also running for the position of federal chair of DA Youth.
At Wednesday night’s rally, Cassim told the 150 students gathered that Daso would ensure that the needs of students were addressed if they voted for it .
Balindlela told the students Daso stood for truth and better skills. “The future is in your hands, my children.”
Balindlela resigned from the ANC in 2008 to join COPE , but changed her allegiance to the DA in November last year. She has been campaigning around the province for the opposition party.
Maimane told the students that when South Africans voted in 1994, “we voted for a dream, which for many South Africans is a dream too far”.
“We are not here to build a white or black or Indian or coloured party. We are building a South African party.”
“That’s the party I signed up for.” —
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