Oh my this is awkward. Having to tell you who I am is a whole ordeal because I am still trying to figure that out myself lol. The most I know at this point is that, I am an unhinged hillbilly from a small town in Northern Kwa-Zulu Natal; My first love had “Petronella” as a middle name (gross right?); I will on occasion get dressed in a onesie, using my red blankie as a cape to live out my fantasy of being the caped crusader of justice: Captain Tanuki; Finally, I have an obsession with owls that should get its own section in the DSM-V. On that owl thing, I feel like in one of my many past lives as a shrew somewhere in the world, I met my end to one of those majestic birds and that specific bird reincarnated as my first love who, at the time of writing, has not killed me…yet! Talk about a circle of life, neh. My goals? Well right now, I have but one very simple goal: to be the best human I can possibly be. Achieving that would make a hillbilly like me, a better person and growth is always good. My time at the paper has made sure I stay on this path. Should a lost soul wanting to know about the paper, stumbles across this bio, I want you to know that I will totally be a radically different person in the best way possible. Who knows, I might have reincarnated as an owl, by then.
Kerri-Anne Swanepoel
On 18 August, Students for Law and Social Justice (SLSJ), led by transformation officer Chulumanco Herimbi, hosted a panel discussion called ‘Panelist On-trial’.The panel featured student leaders: chairperson of Socialist Youth Movement UP, Cameron Rodrigues; chairperson of House Humanities, Okuhle Mpepo; deputy secretary of the National Black Lawyers Association, Dineo Kwetepane and Academics and Mentorship officer of Commercii Favourite Ntisane. The panel was created to speak on issues relating to NSFAS from a student perspective.
Context: the mass meeting
On 26 July, the SRC called for a mass meeting with students in the piazza to give a platform to discuss the SRC’s possible solutions to the NSFAS issues related to defunding and other similar issues and to give students a platform to raise their grievances. The meeting opened with president of the SRC, Njabulo Sibeko, listing the problems the SRC faces regarding the implementation of NSFAS’ new direct payments system.
The direct payments system is a newly established payments system from NSFAS, where students are paid from an NSFAS ‘bank card.’ The payment happens through a third party payment processor known as Tenet Technology. There have been a litany complaints associated with the company and the impact of its pracatices. Firstly, the additional transactional charges associated with using the service, as charges can reach between twenty-rand and thirty -rand on every transaction. Secondly, the service creates a series of problems associated with registration which impacts the student’s ability to access their funds. Finally several issues related to accountability measures with the service.
Sibeko continued by mentioning defunding, registration. Soon after, the floor was open for questions. Student activist, Tarik Lalla, asked two questions directed to Sibeko. The first question being, “Why are we oppsed to direct payments?” Lalla further explained his reasoning, “For years, the University has misadministered student’s funds and people didn’t know where their allowances were, because the University decided to administer those funds.” Lalla added, “So how can we be opposed to that… direct payment is a more accountable measure as opposed to the University funds. We should be against incompetent direct payment.” Lalla concluded his question by stating, “ the finance department continues to exclude students, from administering their own funds.” This question was not met well by students in attendence. In answering this question Sibeko explains , “We are oppsed to direct payments because students are met with bank charges they cant afford,” Sibeko turned the question to the audience and asked, “Comrades do like the system of direct payments?” The question was met with an overwhelming response in the negative. Lalla’s next question was: “1.1 million Rand was allocated to this SRC at the beginning of this year [from the Patrice Motsepe Foundation], where is that money?” Sibeko did not answer the question. The meeting ended with Sibeko calling for students to join the SRC and march to the Union buildings on 2 August 2023.
The Panel
The issue was discussed from multiple angles, but the SRC’s lack of transparency was noted by the panel. It was further noted that the SRC was required to share all information regarding the third-party service provider responsible for the direct payments system. This included informing students of the service provider‘s presence on campus, and the time thereof . The SRC was also to ensure that the service provider visited multiple campuses. The President was aware of this and even stated such at the mass meeting, However Sibeko insists that, “…this is a company we cannot hold accountable comrades, this is a company that is in Durban.” In light of the above, panelist Mpepo expressed her grievances stating, “It is difficult to liaise with the SRC if there is not enough transparency from their end for us to be able to put together fundraising initiatives.” Mpepo further added, “We have toiletry drives almost every week, we have sanitary drives every week, and yet those are being given to external parties meanwhile, there are students within the university who need them.” Mpepo would continue by saying that, “When it comes to the SRC, the lack of transparency, specifically with their budget – [it]makes things problematic. At the beginning of the year, the SRC received R1.1 million from the Motsepe Foundation for registration, however, they received the money only after registration closed. What happened to the money? Has it been used? If it has not been used, then why not use it to assist students now?” Rodrigues shares similar sentiments concerning the lack of transparency on the part of the SRC, Rodrigues said, “What the SRC is currently doing is they are in a silent partnership with a society on campus and actively working towards assisting these students with food, beds and other necessities, but none of this is being communicated to students. Why the secrecy? Again, why not contact the different sub councils to ask them to help fundraise?” Rodrigues would add, “How are students supposed to know of these benefits if none of it has been communicated to them? Why hasn’t it been communicated?” Frustrations with the SRC would not end there as Kwetepane explains, “The SRC is forgetting what their mandate is. They are student representatives, they are students themselves. So how can you be someone who is supposed to lead students, represent students, stand for students, yet you lack transparency with such pressing matters. Matters that affect people’s livelihoods.” Kwetepane furthered by saying, “I think it is very easy when you are a student leader and you have your own external funding and life is good. Yet do they really understand that there were people who were evicted from private accommodation and those feelings.”
The significance of such a panel
In an official response to PDBY, the SLSJ states, “This specific topic was picked by the SLSJ primarily because engaging in such conversations is literally in [their] name- STUDENTS FOR LAW AND SOCIAL JUSTICE. For far too long the voices of students have been ignored, thus, in introducing this topic we hoped to give a platform for students’ voices to be heard and for their questions to be answered.” Regarding the reception from those in attendance SLSJ states, “The event had been an overall success. [we learnt much] from our all-women panel.” As far as their plans for the future are concerned SLSJ states, “we hope to continue to teach our students… Stay tuned on our social platforms for the next ON-TRIAL, because this was just the beginning.”