Don't be nafi

This expression may come from a different generation to those presently electioneering, but the sentiment is the same.

And that, to put it politely, is not to be backward about coming forward for Wednesday’s Student

Elections happen at NMMU on Wednesday

Representative Council (SRC) elections at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.

Or to use an expression favoured by students who have attended NMMU’s leadership programme Beyond the Classroom – “get off your umtarara”. Which, to the uninitiated means, get off your backside and, in this particular instance, get off your backside and VOTE.

It’s not a difficult thing to do.

Every NMMU student has the privilege of voting (something that was denied to so many people for far too long in South Africa’s past). And that privilege should be used.

Why?

You’ve heard this before, and you’re going to hear it again. It’s because your vote counts, along with your friend’s and his friends, and the vote of any other student who is remotely interested in seeing NMMU succeed and grow. (It’s what being a democracy is all about – having your say!)

This body is elected to represent you, the student – so it’s in your best interest to choose the party you believe will do the best job.

Conversely, by sitting back and ignoring the opportunity, you’re sending a clear-cut message: you don’t care, you’re nafi.

But you should care because “the only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing", or so says Edmund Burke.

So please be encouraged to vote.

As already shared, voting is not a difficult thing to do.

You simply need to bring your student card to any of the polling stations that will be open from 7am to 7pm on Wednesday 17 September on all the university’s six campuses and chose the party of your choice.

There are four parties from which to choose, all of which are directly linked to existing political parties in South Africa.

They are (with their Facebook links attached for further insights):

SASCO – the South Africa Student Congress  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sasco-nmmu-src-elections/219754911416458

DASO – Democratic Alliance Student Organisation https://www.facebook.com/daso.nmmu?fref=ts

EFF – Economic Freedom Fighters https://www.facebook.com/pages/NMMU-Economic-Freedom-Fighters-Student-Command-EFFSC/265866120252613?fref=ts

PASMA – Pan African Student Movement of Azania https://www.facebook.com/pages/PASMA-NMMU/272511336261253?sk=timeline

The former make up the majority of the present SRC, while DASO were in the majority in the previous year … and then there are the newcomers EFF, whose leader, Julius Malema, will apparently be on campus tomorrow evening, and PASMA.

It’s going to be an interesting election, especially if our 27 000 students live out the value of taking responsibility and do the right thing – and VOTE.

Come on make your mark.

Don’t be nafi (Uncle Google will enlighten you in being the concerned, informed and socially just citizens that you’d like to be.)



PS At midday today, there’s a live streaming presidential debate between all the parties on the link http://video.nmmu.ac.za/jw6t/src2014.html