The Student Representative Council (SRC) at the University of the Western Cape serves as a formidable voice for students, advocating for their needs, addressing their struggles and voicing their concerns.
Newly elected SRC President Cwenga Belani
A new SRC President, Cwenga Belani, was recently elected from the Economic Freedom Fighters Student Command. Belani, like his predecessor, was 23 years old when he took office, making him the joint-youngest student to lead the UWC SRC.
He said age is just one measurement of experience: “I am walking in the footsteps of the former President, who was also 23 when he was elected. Age should not determine how strong you are to serve the students. If you see that you're ready to tackle the issues of students, and students have empowered you and entrusted you with power, then take it and use it wisely,” he said.
Born and raised in Centane in the Eastern Cape, Belani and his family moved to Cape Town in 2015. He lives in Samora Machel with his parents and two siblings.
“In 2020 I came here to the University of the Western Cape to do my LBB. I was living with my parents - my mother, my father, my brother and my sister. I'm the first born at home,” said Belani.
He said his parents, particularly his father, greatly impacted his activism. Belani says that when he was in high school he questioned his father about why he wouldn’t go to work in winter. It was his father’s response that still motivates him today.
“I used to see my father, who was a construction worker, not going to work during the June holidays. My father said, ‘It's raining, I can’t go to work’. And I asked, then do they pay? He said: ‘No work, no pay’ “Then I said to myself, no, these people need representation and a union. One day I will be a lawyer, and try by all means to be there for workers. Even today at this institution of the University of the Western Cape, that hasn’t changed for me.”
Belani is a committed student activist and a law student, and social justice is at the heart of everything he does. He encourages Grade 12 learners to seriously consider making UWC their higher education home.
“I will kindly advise those in matric to come to UWC. This is the ‘University of the Left’. This is the university of the working class and of those who are poor. And when you are here, you can feel at home,” he said.
While he champions student concerns such as the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) payment issues, safety and security on campus, and the availability of student accommodation, Belani says his position is not one with a high status.
“The significance of us being on the ground is to make sure that we're leading the voice of students so that we are at the forefront for student concerns,” he said.
Belani says some issues are at the forefront of the SRC. “During this term, we encourage all students to actively engage with the SRC, as they have always done before. In good and bad times, share their ideas, and be part of the positive change we aim to bring to our campus.”
Newly elected SRC President Cwenga BelaniA new SRC President, Cwenga Belani, was recently elected from the Economic Freedom Fighters Student Command. Belani, like his predecessor, was 23 years old when he took office, making him the joint-youngest student to lead the UWC SRC.
He said age is just one measurement of experience: “I am walking in the footsteps of the former President, who was also 23 when he was elected. Age should not determine how strong you are to serve the students. If you see that you're ready to tackle the issues of students, and students have empowered you and entrusted you with power, then take it and use it wisely,” he said.
Born and raised in Centane in the Eastern Cape, Belani and his family moved to Cape Town in 2015. He lives in Samora Machel with his parents and two siblings.
“In 2020 I came here to the University of the Western Cape to do my LBB. I was living with my parents - my mother, my father, my brother and my sister. I'm the first born at home,” said Belani.
He said his parents, particularly his father, greatly impacted his activism. Belani says that when he was in high school he questioned his father about why he wouldn’t go to work in winter. It was his father’s response that still motivates him today.
“I used to see my father, who was a construction worker, not going to work during the June holidays. My father said, ‘It's raining, I can’t go to work’. And I asked, then do they pay? He said: ‘No work, no pay’ “Then I said to myself, no, these people need representation and a union. One day I will be a lawyer, and try by all means to be there for workers. Even today at this institution of the University of the Western Cape, that hasn’t changed for me.”
Belani is a committed student activist and a law student, and social justice is at the heart of everything he does. He encourages Grade 12 learners to seriously consider making UWC their higher education home.
“I will kindly advise those in matric to come to UWC. This is the ‘University of the Left’. This is the university of the working class and of those who are poor. And when you are here, you can feel at home,” he said.
While he champions student concerns such as the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) payment issues, safety and security on campus, and the availability of student accommodation, Belani says his position is not one with a high status.
“The significance of us being on the ground is to make sure that we're leading the voice of students so that we are at the forefront for student concerns,” he said.
Belani says some issues are at the forefront of the SRC. “During this term, we encourage all students to actively engage with the SRC, as they have always done before. In good and bad times, share their ideas, and be part of the positive change we aim to bring to our campus.”
