Carlo Petersen
ZIZIPHO Pae sowed seeds of homophobia and created factionalism within the SRC at UCT. The expelled vice-president had also failed, without an excuse, to carry out duties entrusted to her.
These were reasons given by SRC members as grounds for Pae’s expulsion from the student body.
The SRC has released a statement detailing the events which transpired during a special meeting organised to discuss Pae’s Facebook status, “We are institutionalising and normalising sin! Sin. May God have mercy on us”.
The statement, which she admitted was in reaction to a recent US Supreme Court ruling sanctioning same-sex marriages, was made on June 28.
Reacting to the comment, the UCT Queer Revolution (UQR) collective lodged a formal complaint against Pae, alleging that she had breached the UCT Student Code of Conduct.
UCT vice-chancellor Max Price has since told university staff and students that Pae’s statement was an expression of her sincerely held religious belief, rather than an intervention to insult or hurt those with whom she disagrees.
The SRC statement relays that on July 20, UQR handed a memorandum to the body demanding the immediate removal of Pae from office.
After a discussion, the SRC allowed for specific members to be given observer status at the meeting held on July 21.
“Once the special meeting began, it was observed that not only did UQR have more members present than originally stipulated, but many other individuals from many different organisations arrived at the meeting.
“During this time, observers called for the SRC chairperson to step down due to the fact that he was not partial to the cause of the UQR, and that they needed a chairperson who was able to understand and empathise with their cause,” the statement reads.
After SRC chairperson Ramabina Mahapa refused, the observers called for him to step down again. Mahapa attempted to adjourn the meeting and left.
Another executive member, Thato Pule, who had resigned in protest over Pae’s statement, but whose decision had not yet been officially accepted by the SRC, was then called on by the observers to fill Pae’s role on the SRC.
Pule became a voting member and this allowed for a quorum to remain, and Pae was then voted out 7-1.
She and her legal counsel have since appointed Freedom of Religion South Africa (Forsa) to handle queries from the media.
Pauline Sayers, spokesperson for Forsa, said Pae did not receive any formal notification from the SRC regarding her expulsion.
“Should she be requested by the vice-chancellor to respond to the allegations which led to her expulsion, she will do so,” Sayers said.