The Law Student’s Council (LSC) candidates spent the past week making sweet promises to fellow law students in a bid to be elected – but some candidates fear they have already been put at a disadvantage.
Nkululeko Nkosi, a member of the group of candidates known as Adhoc 10, said the group was worried about the fairness of the elections.
Nkosi accused a member of their opposing group, The Bar, of conducting their campaign unethically, by starting campaigning earlier than the official date.
[pullquote align=”right”]”We are further disappointed at the involvement of the incumbent LSC in the matter,” [/pullquote]They are biased
“We are further disappointed at the involvement of the incumbent LSC in the matter,” said Nkosi. “We believe that the LSC has shown bias towards the said group.” Nkosi also accused SRC member Jamie Mighti of using SRC resources like printing and its boardroom for meetings to further The Bar’s “agenda”.
He said their access to SRC resources also explained how they were able to afford their print-outs. Nkosi said he was worried that members of a body charged with overseeing the elections were affiliating themselves with certain groups.
Incumbent LSC chairperson Monchadi Kekana said there was no cause for concern: “We are impartial at all times and we don’t have any influence over the election results.”
Everything is fine
Kekana said the matter had been investigated and the Electoral Committee had decided members of The Bar could still run in the elections. She said she had consulted the LSC and SRC constitutions and finally the Electoral Committee. She had made recommendations to the Electoral Committee, which had made the final ruling.
He is a hypocrite
Nkosi, on the other hand, insisted that “the integrity of the SRC had already been compromised” by Mighti’s actions. Mighti denied any association with The Bar and said he had been cleared of any wrong doing: “It is very ironic that a known member of the PYA himself backed by former and current SRC members publicly and privately is pointing a finger.”
[pullquote align=”right”]”We are impartial at all times and we don’t have any influence over the election results.”[/pullquote]The elections took place on Thursday and the results will be released today on noticeboards around campus.
This year the election were highly competitive with over 50 students running as candidates.
The votes will be counted by the Electoral Committee in the presence of a member of the Student Development and Leadership Unit.
