Wits SRC president suspended
BRAAMFONTEIN – Habib says Dlamini failed to provide the university with relevant documentation to warrant a withdrawal of his decision.
University of Witwatersrand (Wits) SRC president Mcebo Dlamini has been removed from his position pending an appeal against his expulsion from the institution.
Wits Vice-Chancellor Adam Habib said his expulsion is unrelated to the recent controversial Hitler comments where he declared his ‘love’ for Adolf Hitler, while likening every white person to the ruthless German dictator.
“Mr Dlamini was found guilty of misconduct by a disciplinary panel and given a sentence of, inter alia, one year suspended exclusion in respect of each charge against him,” said Habib.
According to Habib, in terms of the SRC constitution, the SRC president may appeal against his removal.
Habib added that Dlamini failed to provide the university with relevant documentation to warrant a withdrawal of Habib’s decision.
“This leads me to believe that he is deliberately delaying a final decision until the end of his presidential tenure. To allow this to happen would be a violation of the SRC constitution and the principle of justice,” he said.
According to Habib, the ‘Hitler’ comments made by Dlamini violate the fundamental values of Wits University and Dlamini has brought the institution into disrepute.
“His subsequent engagements, including a Facebook post in which he threatened to kill an individual and his children, even though he may have been provoked, are in my view an indication that he lacks the maturity that is required of a student leader who is meant to represent a diverse and cosmopolitan community of over 30 000 students.”
Renowned author Malaika Mahlatsi has criticised Habib for this move saying, “Shame on you Habib.”
Mahlatsi continued to quote a speech made by Habib at the University of Cape Town during the #RhodesMustFall movement where we he said he does not like the idea of wiping out history.
“Simply put, professor Habib does not believe that the decision to rectify a historical injustice against Black humanity is correct. To him and many reactionaries of his kind, the rectifying of an injustice is tantamount to the erasure of history,” said Mahlatsi.
Dlamini was unavailable for comment by the time of going to print.
However, he posted on Facebook, “To the Wits community don’t mourn but mobilise…”
