UWC Student Representative Council

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Voting link for the election of two Convocation Representatives to serve on UWC Council:

https://www.eisaict.org.za/uwcconvocation/(S(xpr3jmrzwiopytqlifa3wthk))/Home.aspx

Please vote for candidate number 2 - Msingathi Kula and candidate number 8 - Mangaliso Nompula

Voting is from today 13th June at 10am, till the 20th June

Dischem donates 1067 sanitary pads to UWC-SRC for distribution on campus

The University of the Western Cape (UWC) Student Representative Council (SRC) has received a donation of 1067 sanitary pads from Dischem - the donation forms part of the ongoing Social Makeover Project (SMP) by the Western Cape department of Social development office led by MEC Albert Fritz.

In his keynote address at Parliament on 13 May 2015, Deputy Minister in the Presidency, Buti Manamela, said limited hygiene options make it difficult for female students to participate in school during their monthly menstruation cycle.

The Deputy Minister described the issues of sanitary towels as one that is more than a “women's issue” but an educational one, and a key global development issue, stating, “Girls who cannot afford pads or tampons miss approximately 5 days of school a month, which amounts to 60 missed school days a year”.

The SMP, via the office of the Western Cape MEC of Social Development, received the donation from Old Mutual and Imbalie Group for distribution purposes by the Dischem group, courtesy of its national Million Comforts initiative.

UWC-SRC Deputy President, Lukhanyiso Lk Matebese, said when they as the UWC-SRC came into office, they came in with a mandate from the South African Student Congress (SASCO) to ensure that women’s dignity is brought back and that women are respected, which is why they pledged to start a campaign to donate sanitary pads on campus.

“Women pay large amounts for being women. That was never acceptable and it will never be. Amongst other things women struggle to put food on the table and clothes on their backs and we decided to do this little thing for women on our campus who cannot afford to buy sanitary towels, let alone toiletries - just to make a little difference in their lives.

“We are very excited and happy about the donation by Dischem and we know it will go a very long way. For years people focused on high schools and townships, forgetting that university students struggle too - as our universities are a replica of our societies.

“As the SRC we are appealing to the larger campus community to also get involved where they can and make drop-offs at the SRC office or the Communications and Media Relations Office at the Administration East Wing, Basement,” she concluded.

SPEAKING NOTES OF THE UWC SRC PRESIDENT Cde AKHONA LANDU ON THE OCCASION OF THE R1 MILLION CHEQUE HANDOVER TOWARDS THE SRC'S IKAMVA LETHU - OUR FUTURE FUND , HELD AT PUBLIC HEALTH ON 19 MAY 2016.

Programme Director- Ms Lukhanyiso Matebese
Hon Minister of Energy – Mrs Tina Joemat-Pettersen
CEO of Bio-Therm - Ms Jasandra Nyker
Acting Rector & Vice Chancellor- Prof Vivienne Lawack
UWC Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Student Support – Prof Pamela Dube
Dean of Science faculty - Prof Professor Mike Davies-Coleman
Team Energy
Bio Therm team
Fellow SRC & CHC Members
University Staff
Students

It is such an honour to share with you, our vision which is that of “Excellence through opportunity”, crystalized as the iKamva Lethu – Our Future fund.
Before I share the significance of our vision , allow me programme director, to also welcome our special partners towards this noble cause.

I too take this opportunity to welcome back the Minister of Energy – Mrs Tina Joemat Pettersen to her alma Mata. The place that realized her own academic aspirations. A place she continues to hold dear to her heart, many students have shared with me that each time they have met the minister at other public gatherings once you mention to her that you are from UWC, her bush college, her face lights up each time. Indeed she did promise us she will return home, if we were in the location Programme director, we would’ve slaughtered the fattest cow to celebrate the coming home of our alumna. Ministers thank you for always not been too busy to for us as the SRC and the broader student populace, and for your love and believe in the South African youth as the future.

A special welcome to the CEO of Biotherm Ms Jasandra Nyker, who allowed herself to believe in the potential of UWC students and took the necessary steps to assist the SRC towards realization of our vision. Through this selfless act to be part of the solution you have given our students a fair fighting chance towards realizing their own academic aspirations and you have made the female student from Qwaqwa believe that she too can become a Minster, a CEO or even the rector of a University.
Whilst our Government has prioritized higher education, with increased funding from R11 billion in 2006 to R26 billion in 2013 and even more in 2016. This notable work was proven to not be enough in the face of the current economic climate and unregulated tuition fees. This has far put pressure on tuition fees, university funding and access to higher education for the scores of deserving higher education students.

Upon our election into office we found ourselves having to lead the vast majority of unfunded students, with most having to go to bed without a dint of nutrition coupled with not having necessary material and support to propel them to succeed. With the total rand value of unfunded students at our University being R15 million as the SRC we took it upon ourselves to share the responsibility for the future of our fellow students by ourselves and to be be the driving force that influences and actively contributes to change.

It is upon this realization that we conceptualized the SRC’s iKamva Lethu – Our Future Fund campaign. For some of you in the audience I’m sure a question lingers on your mind of “What is this iKamva Lethu – Our Future Fund?”

The iKamva Lethu (Our Future) Fund is a fund we launched earlier this year aimed at providing holistic assistance to students beginning with access and then providing the support necessary to drive them to succeed.
The holistic support we speak of is access to higher education, provision for academic material and also ensuring that we combat food insecurity on our campus.
Before the SRC would lobby external partners, it too had to be the solution thus the R350 000 we contributed from our limited operation budget, the next step was to was to convince the university to contribute, thus their injection of R2 million.

We seek to encourage all role players, ranging from public and private sector, including influential individuals and alumnus to contribute to this cause that will change the lives of students whose progress towards a better future is hindered by challenging family financial circumstances.

The fund prioritizes students with:

• Insufficient funding
• Partially funded students
• Students who do not meet NFSAS requirement of 50%, but have been promoted as a result of meeting the academic credit requirements.
• Students who have shown academic potential but over the years have had to deal with socio-economic and pyscho-social challenges.

This fund is not an event, through the help of the university, we were able to lay a strong foundations for it to exist post our term of office, for successive SRC’s to be able to assist our students. We have thus put in place check and balances mechanisms, like the office of the DVC SDS, the SDSSSC, external auditors, office for Institutional Advancement and other role players.

Program director

We are as the SRC, honoured to accept this cheque from BIOTHERM on behalf of all UWC students.
This noble act by BIOTHERM is a demonstration that if all role players come to the party we can move forward at a much faster pace towards elevating some of the challenges that our students face.

This gesture is a big deal to us and our students as it’s a confirmation that it really takes a society to educate a child.
May Today marks a start of a mutual beneficial relationship between our institution and your company Ms Jasandra Nyker.
This act by Ms Jasandra Nyker and her company encourages many more to come to the fore and work together to support students in their endeavors to achieve their academic qualifications despite the societal and financial challenges that they may face. This serves as a catalyst towards realizing these students’ future dreams.

This generous gesture by Biotherm is not only critical for access and success of these students, but to South Africa’s developmental agenda, as the importance of education towards economic prosperity is of utmost importance that it can never be overemphasized.

Finding solutions to lack of food security, to lack of academic materials to our students, and the funding crisis at a national level should be all our continued preoccupation.
We once more thank BIO-THERM for taking a step towards the right direction in aiding us as the SRC to achieving the objectives of iKamvalethu- Our Future Fund, and we hope that this will be a continued relationship even post our term of office as we would like to see the Ikamva lethu fund grow even beyond 2016.

In closing as the SRC we reiterate our commitment of insuring:

• Healthy and productive relationship between university, students & external role players
• That No academically deserving students to be sidelined from completing their higher education because of lack of finance
• Ensuring a supportive and embracive academic environment for students
• To Holistically address and deal with the various challenges faced by students and to:
• Execute responsibilities with the highest levels of integrity.

Baie dankie, enkosi. I thank you.

UWC SRC as led by its capable President of the SRC Akhona Landu, had on Thursday, 19 May 2016 brought an additional R1 Million for the purposes of its iKamva Lethu - Our Future fund, which seeks to provide holistic support to needy students.

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