Wits University vice-chancellor Professor Adam Habib has been given 48 hours to reinstate ousted Wits Student Representative Council (SRC) president Mcebo Dlamini or have the institution come to a standstill.
Wits students – among them the South African Students Congress (Sasco) and the student political party, the Progressive Youth Alliance – who took part in a march in support of Dlamini earlier this week, vowed that the university would be rendered ungovernable if Habib did not meet Friday’s deadline.
On Wednesday, a Wits Sasco member, who asked not to be named, said: “We give Adam Habib 48 hours to make sure that there is a review committee on Dlamini’s case. He needs to be reinstated.”
Dlamini also posted a number of similar remarks on his Facebook page and added: “Failure to do so (adhere to these demands) will ensure that Wits comes to a standstill.
“It has nothing to do with me as a person, but everything this institution stands for.”
About 250 students attended the march on Monday, all calling for Dlamini to be reinstated.
Sasco deputy provincial deputy secretary Joy Phiri said: “No vice-chancellor can tell us who our president is. Reinstate our president.”
The Star also spoke to Habib, who said the request to expedite the next sitting of the independent appeals and review committee had been received.
“The matter is now in the hands of the chairperson. Any decision regarding the reinstatement of Mr Mcebo Dlamini as SRC president will be determined by the finding of the committee,” he said.
Dlamini was removed as the SRC president last week after being found guilty of physically assaulting a senior member of university staff and verbally assaulting staff members via e-mail.
He was recently thrust into the media spotlight for his controversial “I love Hitler” Facebook posts, which gained national attention and criticism.
