MESSAGE FROM THE VICE-CHANCELLOR AND PRINCIPAL

Dear Students
As of today, Mr Mcebo Dlamini is no longer President or a member of the
Students Representative Council (SRC). In February 2015, Mr Dlamini was found
guilty of misconduct by a disciplinary panel and given a sentence of, inter alia,
one year suspended exclusion in respect of each charge against him. In terms of
the SRC Constitution, a member of the SRC ceases to be a member if s/he is
found guilty of misconduct by a Student Disciplinary Committee. The SRC
member may appeal against his/her removal.
Mr Dlamini appealed to me and asked that I defer his standing down from the
SRC pending the outcome of a review of the disciplinary panels decision. I
agreed, provided that the review was completed within 14 days. Unfortunately,
this did not happen. I met Mr Dlamini on 22 April 2015 and informed him that it
was not in the best interests of the University for him to continue to hold office
while having a disciplinary finding against him. I gave him until 30 April 2015 to
make written representations to me regarding why I should not withdraw my
decision for him to continue in office.
Mr Dlamini then provided a motivation for an extension of my decision based on
the argument that the delay in the legal process was the fault of the Legal Office.
I believe that this argument is disingenuous since it appears that, inter alia, he
did not submit the relevant documentation to the Legal Office with enough time
before the hearing for the Legal Office and the Committee to properly consider
his arguments. This leads me to believe that he is deliberately delaying a final
decision until the end of his presidential tenure. To allow this to happen would be
a violation of the SRC constitution and the principle of justice.
Therefore, after consultation with the Chair of Council, Dr Randall Carolissen, I
have decided to withdraw my decision for Mr Dlamini to remain in office. As of
immediately, he is required to stand down from his position in the SRC. Both Mr
Dlamini and the SRC have been informed in this regard. Appropriate provisions
will be made for the continued operations of the SRC.
For the purposes of clarity, I would also like to state that the separate matter of
Mr Dlamini's recent declaration of admiration for the fascist leader, Adolf Hitler,
and what I believe to be racist comments regarding whites, did not influence my
current decision to require him to step down. However, they cannot be ignored
and I have referred the matter to the Legal Office for investigation. This matter
will take its due course.
I would also like to make it categorically clear that I believe that these comments
violate the fundamental values of Wits University and that Mr Dlamini has
brought our institution into disrepute. His remarks have provoked multiple
complaints from people of all racial, political and religious persuasions, including
a petition demanding his immediate expulsion from the University. His
subsequent engagements, including a Facebook post in which he threatened to
kill an individual and his children, even though he may have been provoked, are
in my view an indication that he lacks the maturity that is required of a student
leader who is meant to represent a diverse and cosmopolitan community of over
30 000 students. As someone who claims to love this institution, I believe that Mr
Dlamini has single-handedly wrought more damage on its reputation than any

other person who I can think of in at least the last two decades. This damage has
the potential to impact on the credibility of our degrees, and therefore on the
employment prospects of all of our students and graduates.
There are some in our midst who have argued that the Universitys principled
commitment to free speech means that Mr Dlamini should not be sanctioned for
his comments. I personally disagree. While I am committed to ensuring that Wits
remains a free space for the contestation of ideas, including those with which we
do not agree, I believe that the officials and leadership figures of this University
must act in accordance with its values. Leadership in public institutions comes
with responsibilities. It is incumbent on these leaders to act beyond their
individual ambitions to the broader public interest. One is not compelled to seek
office; one does so of ones own volition. Therefore, one must be willing to take
on the burdens of leadership as much as one experiences its privileges.
There are others who have argued that our responsibility in the case of errant
behaviour by young leaders is to mentor and develop, rather than sanction. I
concur, but mentorship and development can only be undertaken when a young
leader is willing to learn. There has been continuous engagement with Mr
Dlamini by many people over many months, and in my view, this has not yielded
any change in his conduct.
I am also of the view that one cannot forever appease leaders (young or old) who
violate our values and resort to mobilising on the basest of human impulses.
There must be consequences for their choices. Our failure as a society to hold
such leaders accountable is partly why our institutions have begun to fray and
why we are subjected to the challenges of corruption, violence, xenophobia,
racism, sexism, inequality and exploitation. Wits cannot allow itself to repeat this
mistake for it would destroy the very fabric of who we are.
I want to say that this has been a difficult decision, even if some do not want to
believe it. However, it has brought two principles to the fore. Firstly, it is
important to realise that we live in a constitutional democracy. Even if one is
elected by popular vote, ones behaviour must be in accordance with the values
of the collective. Secondly, it is important for the full student community to
participate in the SRC elections. The vast majority of our students do not
participate in the elections and too many subsequently complain about their
leadership and their responsiveness to student concerns. If you truly want a
responsive leadership, then it is incumbent on you to take the initiative and
participate in the democratic act of choosing your own leadership.
I have deliberately chosen to reflect on my reasons for withdrawing the decision
that enabled Mr Dlamini to remain in the SRC, as well as his recent general
conduct, because of our collective commitment to transparency. I believe that we
cannot demand this of government and others if we are not prepared to live by
this code in our own institutions.
Yours sincerely
Professor Adam Habib
Vice-Chancellor and Principal
University of the Witwatersrand
4 May 2015