Campus politics hot up as DA ousts EFF in landslide SRC election victory

In a dramatic shift in campus politics, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Student Command has lost control of Nelson Mandela University SRC to the Democratic Alliance Students Organisation (DOSA). In this interview with BizNews, Yusuf Cassim, the Democratic Alliance chairperson in the Eastern Cape, says: “We've seen our institutions of higher learning come under increased pressure from radical student movements that have sought to hold students at large hostage. And we believe that this result at Nelson Mandela University bodes well. The DA Students Organisation won 79% of all SRC seats that were available in that election. So it is indeed a landslide victory….. We believe this is one of many dominoes that are going to fall across the country.” Cassim explains why student politics has, over the past decade, played an influential role nationally. He also gives an update on provincial politics in the Eastern Cape, as well as coalition politics in the Nelson Mandela Metro where “dysfunctional governance and poor governance” are taking root.