04/06/2026
The debate around the R150 application fee has raised important questions about student leadership and accountability. What students must understand is that this policy was discussed and processed long before its implementation, during periods when both SASCO and EFFYC held leadership positions within the SRC. Despite having opportunities to challenge the proposal, neither organisation successfully stopped it before it became policy.
YBM maintains that students deserve honesty about how this process unfolded. Rather than engaging in political theatrics after the fact, our focus has been on ensuring that if the fee is implemented, the revenue generated must directly benefit students through debt relief, registration assistance, food support programmes, and aid for vulnerable students.
We welcome the University’s recent communication and will continue engaging management to ensure that struggling students, particularly those due to graduate, are prioritised and supported. Student leadership must be about accountability, transparency, and practical solutions—not election-season performances.