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| In picture: Nande Myendeki |
Nande Myendeki, a member of the Pan Africanist Student Movement of Azania, has revealed his interest in becoming secretary general for the PASMA Bellville branch.
Myendeki, who is also part of CPUT’s central student
representative committee and played a key role in the #FeesMustFall protest,
says he wants to transform the state of the organization and continue working
towards bettering the lives of CPUT students.
“I have been a member of PASMA since 2017,” said Myendeki.
“I know what it takes to lead and want to continue working
towards bettering the lives of students at the university. I have seen a lot of
students struggling in this institution. From academic exclusions, financial
exclusions, and struggling to get access to residences. All of these mentioned
above should never be a concern for students,” he added.
PASMA held its annual general meeting at the Bellville campus this past Friday, where students in attendance expected new leadership to be elected. 7 seats were available, namely chairperson, secretary general, deputy secretary, finance, political commissar, organiser, secretary for sports and arts & culture.
Unfortunately for Myendeki, the meeting collapsed as the
Chairperson of the Organization, Aphiwe Simelela, failed to deliver paperwork that
showed that the members were indeed registered in the party. He expressed his
disappointment at the events that occurred.
“I was very saddened by what happened on Friday. As an
organization that takes itself seriously, it was shocking to me that one of our
own couldn’t provide proof of registration for the event. The collapse of the
meeting didn’t only affect us but other students who took their time to come
and support us. What happened there was unacceptable.”
“If we want to raise this organization and bring it back to
life, we need to take action, and I think that’s what the current leadership
lacks the most.
"The impression we gave students on Friday is a
negative one, and we have a long way to rectify it,” he said.
When asked about why he would make a good secretary and
leader for the organization, this is what Myendeki had to say.
“Since I arrived at CPUT, I have always resided at the
student residences in Bellville. This year, I decided to leave and asked to be
transferred to Picton Heights in Parow because I wanted a new challenge. I knew
that students in Parow had hardships and wanted to come and provide solutions
to their issues.”
“Ever since I got there, I and other leaders of the
residence managed to sort out the WIFI issue students were facing in the
Student Junction residences. We then went as far as making sure that every
student was placed in a good environment that enabled them to study without
having to worry about a place to sleep,” he added.
Transport for some of the students that reside in Student
Junction residences has always been an issue and an area of concern. Students
in the past have had to walk to different spots to catch the buses to their
respective campuses. This meant that students were in danger of getting mugged
or even attacked on their way back or to the buses. One of the issues Myendeki
managed to sort out.
Myendeki also says he managed to get soccer kits for the
students in the residences and says it was a major project for him as
soccer-playing students in the residences always sought assistance with the
issue.
“Being active and playing sports should form a huge part of
a student’s daily activities. That is why I found it fitting to organize a
soccer kit for student junction leaners,” he said.
Ever since the student junction residences opened
approximately 5 years ago, there has been a lack of activities to help engage
students and provide worthwhile experiences. This has been one of Myendeki’s
priorities from the get-go.
“Being a student can be very tiring, I know this from
experience. Students sometimes need to relax and have fun while attending
educational events at the same time. The braais and events we have organized
have allowed just exactly that. This has never been done before and I am proud
to say it will continue every year as we are in the phase of coming up with
ideas on how to make student life enjoyable for the learners.”
PASMA will hold another annual meeting this coming
Wednesday. The SRC member urges students to come out in numbers as they look to
free the organization from the shackles of collapse.
“I urge all of the students to come out in numbers this
Wednesday. We cannot let the disappointment of last Friday take over. I believe
that this meeting will change and shape the future of PASMA, hence the need for
support is needed,” he concluded.
The meeting is set to take place on Wednesday, October 19 at
the CPUT Bellville campus, at 17:00.