Project W has distanced themselves from SRC hosted Pro-Palestine events which they believe is part of a misuse of the SRC office.
Project W, one of the political organisations making up the Student Representative Council (SRC), have distanced themselves from pro-Palestinian events hosted by the student council.
The events were held in collaboration with the City of Johannesburg during Palestine Week at the end of March.
As part of Palestine Week a delegation from Ramallah, a Palestinian city in the central West Bank, visited Johannesburg and met with Mayor Parks Tau. One of the events took place at Wits University where guest speaker Dr Husam Zomlot was invited to give a presentation on Palestine.
But Project W’s Jamie Mighti said it was inappropriate for the SRC to host a pro-Palestinian event and should stay “neutral” on issues like Israel-Palestine.
“The SRC is a parliament for the university, we’re supposed to oversee student structures and stay as neutral as we possibly can,” said Mighti, the SRC campus health and wellness officer.
He said the SRC had only held one meeting up to Palestine Week. The SRC’s hosting of the event and Tau’s visit had not been discussed by all SRC members.
“So you can imagine my surprise as a member of the SRC, to find out that the SRC is hosting the mayor and that the president of the SRC is representing the SRC in this discussion,” said Mighti.
SRC president Mcebo Dlamini, a member of the majority Progressive Youth Alliance, declined to comment on Mighti’s accusations.
“Basically there is nothing to comment on,” Dlamini said.
