30/07/2026
From. : PASMA Zeph Mothopeng
To : IWS BCC Community
Subject: Rejection of the Unilateral Stay-Away Notice
Receive revolutionary greetings, Sons and Daughters of the stolen land of Azania.
We trust that you are in good health and high spirits.
The Pan Africanist Student Movement of Azania (PASMA) unequivocally rejects the reckless and unilateral decision taken by the so-called EFFSC-led SRC to call for an indefinite stay-away from academic activities on behalf of the students of IWS BCC.
While we fully acknowledge and support the legitimate grievances confronting students—including the delayed payment of meal allowances, financial exclusion, and the poor maintenance of student residences—we strongly condemn the manner in which this decision has been imposed without consulting the very students the SRC claims to represent.
An Unconstitutional and Undemocratic Process
The decision to declare a campus stay-away without first convening a legitimate mass meeting is procedurally flawed, undemocratic, and a blatant abuse of the mandate entrusted to the SRC.
The SRC derives its authority from the student body, not from the personal opinions or political interests of a handful of individuals. Any decision that has far-reaching consequences for the academic future of thousands of students must first be debated and approved by the students themselves.
A stay-away is a collective weapon of student struggle—it is not the private property of an SRC executive. No leadership has the authority to wake up in the morning and impose an indefinite shutdown of academic activities without a democratic mandate from the students.
By bypassing the student body, the EFFSC-led SRC has demonstrated arrogance, political opportunism, and complete disregard for the democratic principles of student governance. Such conduct undermines the credibility of the SRC and reduces students to mere spectators in decisions that directly affect their futures.
has previously experienced disruptions that resulted in campus closures and legal intervention. Any irresponsible call for an indefinite stay-away, without proper consultation or a clear programme of action, exposes students to unnecessary academic risks while doing little to resolve the underlying challenges.
PASMA's Position
PASMA will never support decisions imposed through intimidation, political grandstanding, or authoritarian tendencies disguised as student activism. Genuine student leadership is rooted in consultation, accountability, transparency, and collective decision-making.
We therefore demand that the SRC:
- Immediately withdraw the unilateral stay-away notice.
- Convene an emergency mass meeting within 24 hours to account to the student body.
- Present the grievances and proposed programme of action before the students.
- Allow students to democratically decide whether a stay-away or any other form of protest should be pursued.
No organisation, regardless of its political affiliation, has the moral or democratic authority to hijack the collective voice of students.
PASMA remains steadfast in defending principled, democratic, and accountable student leadership. We will continue to reject political arrogance and decisions imposed without the consent of the students.
«"A leader without political education is a potential criminal." — Thomas Sankara»
Yours in Socialist Education,
PASMA Zeph Mothopeng
