The University of the Western Cape has continued to strengthen student governance structures after a successful Student Representative Council (SRC) election.

At the Inauguration of the new SRC, Rector and Vice-Chancellor Professor Tyrone Pretorius said the elected leadership carries with them the weight of responsibility. “As SRC members, you are role models, not only for those that elected you but for all students. Your peers will look up to you for guidance and inspiration. I encourage you to lead with integrity, to lead with kindness, and to show Ubuntu,” said Prof Pretorius.

“The University of the Western Cape has a proud legacy of activism and social justice. As members of the SRC, you are custodians of this legacy. Your role is to uphold and to strengthen the values that define our institution.” This year, the Student Governance Constitution (SGC) was amended, and the Representative Council, which previously had 12 members, was increased to 15.

The SRC now has a Sports Officer, an Accommodation Affairs Officer, a Postgraduate Officer, and an International Relations Officer.
Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Student Development and Support, Prof Matete Madiba, reminded the newly elected student officials that they have an essential role at UWC.

“Your role is to shorten the distance between students' aspirations, where they are now, and students' dreams. From the first-years who are entering to all the seniors at the University - these are people who have aspirations and dreams. You have this grand opportunity to make sure that the distance towards achieving those dreams is shortened and not made even more tedious and longer than what it should be. Take up this responsibility with honour,” said Prof Madiba.

“We are behind you, we are with you, and I'm confident that you will not let yourselves down. You will not let all of your support networks down, and you won't let the University down.”
 
Fourteen representatives from the South African Students Congress (SASCO) have been elected to the fifteen available seats on the new SRC, and the Pan Africanist Student Movement of Azania (PASMA) won one seat. 

At the inauguration, the newly elected SRC President, Mcntosh Khasembe, told the new council members that they have a responsibility to all UWC students: “Being mandated and entrusted with the responsibility to lead and govern the masses of our people in a student governance constitution, a new one that is, is a task at hand that we do not take lightly at all. And there will be moments of confrontation in implementing the SGC to its extreme level. May we never lose the core values that guide this constitution, which is to create an inclusive, united, transparent, accountable, and capacitated framework of student governance. May this never be considered as an SRC mandate because it would be a political blunder. Trust me, it would be a political blunder to assume that the revival of student activism solely depends on the SRC. It doesn't. I would argue that the revival and renewal agenda of activism largely depends on our student formations.”

Following their inauguration, the student leaders attended an induction workshop before they are set to begin their work in earnest in 2025.