During the week of 22 April, multiple events on the Hatfield campus were cancelled or postponed. This includes an event from Students for Law and Social Justice (SLSJ) and Rise Mzansi. Following an investigation from PDBY, it was discovered that UP specifically clamped down on these events in an effort to prevent any political campaigns from taking place on campus.
SLSJ Tuks had arranged a debate for 24 April. The idea behind this event was to help students decide whom to vote for by finding out more about party manifestos and rhetoric from student leaders themselves. However, on this date, SLSJ announced on their Instagram page that the event was postponed “due to unforeseen circumstances beyond [their] control”. They continued, explaining that they were addressing the situation and would arrange a new date as soon as possible.
PDBY reached out to SLSJ’s Head of Transformation, Tirelo Masilo, to explain why the debate was postponed. She stated, “Everything was planned out with facilities: I had booked a room for the day, and I just needed to send in an application to the events committee. However, the events committee declined the application for the event and reasoned [that] the refusal [was] due to a mandate given by the executive of the university, namely ‘no political campaigning allowed on campus’.” Masilo continued, “We’re equally disappointed in the university’s reluctance to have this discussion, since it is important [given] the upcoming elections. Furthermore, it was said that UP Faculty of Political Sciences held a similarly sanctioned forum, and UP hosted the exact same thing that we wanted to do.”
Similarly, Rise Mzansi had arranged a discussion with their national leader, Songezo Zibi, which was set to take place on 26 April. This meeting was promoted as a discussion related to the importance of youth voices in politics, what freedom means in the South African context, and the question “does my vote matter?”. This event was also cancelled soon before it was set to take place. Ricardo Teixeira, Rise Mzansi field organiser for Ward 56 (which includes the university) and one of the event’s organisers, explained, “The university doesn’t want any political discussion of any [sort] before the elections or ever, I guess…. Unless it’s a UP event. ‘Political campaigning is not allowed on campus’, they said.”
PDBY asked Rikus Delport, UP’s Director of the Department of Institutional Advancement, for comment on why these events had been shut down. “Given the proliferation of political parties in the run up to the 2024 elections, a decision has been taken proactively to restrict the hosting of political gatherings on our campuses to protect the continuity of our academic programmes, [to] prevent any potential disruptions to our educational activities, and to ensure an environment conducive to teaching and learning. While we recognise the importance of political discourse and engagement, it is important that our primary focus remains on providing our students with the best possible educational experience.”
I’m Kirsten, a law student who loves writing, making spreadsheets and consuming an unhealthy amount of caffeine.
I love writing about student issues and current events.