AYANDA NDLOVU
The University of Pretoria holds annual student parliament elections. But in order to vote, you need to know who to vote for. Here at Perdeby we want you to be informed about Tuks’s political societies and what they stand for.
AfriForum Youth UP AfriForum Youth UP markets itself as a non-political human rights organisation. They have won the majority number of seats in Student Parliament in the previous two elections and do heavy election campaigning. They believe in mother-tongue education and the development of healthy student traditions based on Christian principles. They say that they contest political elections because they want to keep political organisations out of student governance and represent the true mandate of the students.
Democratic Alliance Student Organisation (DASO) DASO is the on-campus branch of the Democratic Alliance (DA) youth division. They stand for student rights, and they want to build a university that offers equal opportunity to all and want Tuks to be united. Delivery, diversity, reconciliation and redress are the four pillars the organisation runs on. They aim to use these four pillars to build an inclusive university that works for all. DASO wants to teach students to be active participants in creating their own future outside of campus.
African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL)
The ANCYL is in a progressive youth alliance with the South African Students Congress (SASCO). Together these two organisations push for the reform of the university as a whole to include all those within the student body and not only the minority. They believe in the championing of free education for all students and to redress the problems created by Apartheid and its legacy on the youth. They want the abolishment of quota systems in residences and they want an honest conversation when it comes to racism on campus.
South African Students Congress (SASCO) SASCO, in addition to being in an alliance with the ANCYL, are also in a goal-driven partnership with the Muslim Student Association (MSA) to champion the rights of the oppressed in Palestine. They believe that the voice of the students has to be heard on campus and that student governance must be taken seriously. They also champion free education and wish to redress the university structure to be inclusive for everyone.
COPE@Tuks COPE@Tuks is an organisation that wants students to have a balanced student life. They push for organisations like RAG to be able to continue organising the type of events they do and for the creation of a student aid fund to help those in need. They pushed for the creation of a 24-hour library space and want students to lead balanced lives.
Pan Africanist Student Movement (PASMA) PASMA is the student wing of the PAC. They believe in effective and accessible education for all. PASMA sees education as a way to transform society to be non-racial, non-sexist and classless. They are therefore committed to helping educationally excluded students. PASMA is dedicated to the destruction of capitalism, neo-colonialism and imperialism.
