Wits University has responded to requests from the Progressive Youth Alliance (PYA), and the former Student Representative Council (SRC) president, Mcebo Dlamini, to speed up the process of review of Dlamini’s case.
Wits University has distanced itself from the review of the guilty verdict on charges of misconduct against former Student Representative Council (SRC) president, Mcebo Dlamini. This is according to a letter sent to the Progressive Youth Alliance (PYA) from the office of the Wits vice chancellor Professor Adam Habib, which Wits Vuvuzela has seen.
Habib was responding to calls made by the PYA during a march on main campus on Monday, May 11. One of the demands made by the group was that the review of Dlamini’s case be moved to this Friday, May 15.
Speaking to Wits Vuvuzela, Wits University spokesperson Shirona Patel said the review is being handled by an “independent panel” and the university will distance itself from the actual process.
Patel told Wits Vuvuzela that “it is not up to the Legal Office to make such a decision,” but the review committee. Patel could not say who constituted the review committee.
In the letter sent from Habib’s office, the university says it supports the request to speed up the process of the review and adds that “a request to this effect has already been made to the Chair of the Review Committee”. It further states that “if the Review Committee finds in favour of Mr Dlamini, he will be reinstated as SRC President”.
Dlamini was recalled as President on May 4, following an announcement from the vice chancellor’s office. Earlier this year, the former SRC president was found guilty of misconduct but allowed to remain in his position by the vice chancellor pending a review of the case.
Last week, though, the vice chancellor announced that he was reversing this decision as it appeared to Habib, that Dlamini was intentionally delaying the review process.
Dlamini has said that his legal team has contacted the Wits Legal Office to demand that the review of his case be held by this Friday.
He told Wits Vuvuzela that it was now the university who was delaying the date of his review and with exams in less than a month, he would like to “exonerate” himself and prepare for his exams.
