Friday, October 17, 2008
I didn’t know Rhodes students were so interested in politics. But the attendance at the VC’s public forum suggested that fact. The lecture theatre at Barrettes was packed to capacity. If lectures were attended like that, I’m sure no one would fail. Anyway, the forum was quite informative and enlightening. There were three panellists, including Advocate Izak Smuts and Dr Steven Friedman, a well known political analyst. I didn’t get the name of the third panellist but he is a lecturer of politics in the university. These three men gave presentations concerning the state of the constitution and the general political situation in the country. The audience was invited to ask questions and share their views. I realised that the general consensus among the panellists was that there is no constitutional crisis in the country, in light of the redeployment of the president and the possible split of the ANC. But many in the audience begged to differ. The sense of unease was evident as many seemed to be uncomfortable about the prospect of having a Zama presidency. Nevertheless, it was quite encouraging to see the youth attending such a relevant forum. I also propose a toast to the Vice-Chancellor for coming up with such an initiative. Indeed, it was long overdue. It was about time that the youth had a space to adequately air their views.
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