University of Fort Hare SRC president Aphelele Khalakahla has penned an impassioned letter to the Department of Higher Education and Training, calling for urgent intervention against what he describes as a deliberate campaign to silence student leaders who dare to challenge the institution’s governance.
Khalakahla alleges that the vice-chancellor, Sakhela Buhlungu, is orchestrating a targeted effort to suspend him, following his vocal criticism of the university’s management and its handling of key issues — which Sunday World recently published.
The article, which highlighted Khalakahla’s concerns about the alleged collapse of the university and the unlawful extension of the vice-chancellor’s term, appears to have triggered swift and dramatic actions against the student leader.
Just hours after the article was published, campus protection services summoned Khalakahla and served him with charges related to a political case from October 2024, according to the letter to Higher Education Minister Buti Manamela.
The SRC president characterised the charges as a deliberate attempt to intimidate him.
“Yesterday, only four hours after an article was published by Sunday World, I was summoned on an urgent basis by campus protection services,” Khalakahla wrote.
He added that the case in question had been “concocted by the opposition during a conference” and was later withdrawn, with the investigating unit itself determining it to be political rather than legitimate.
The timing of the charges has raised eyebrows, with Khalakahla alleging that the vice-chancellor is orchestrating a campaign to purge him from his position as SRC president.
“This comes after failed attempts to coerce a student into pursuing the case against me,” he stated.
Ad hoc inquiry initiated
Khalakahla further revealed that Buhlungu has constituted an ad hoc committee to address the charges, a process he claims is unprecedented in the university’s history.
“It must be noted that such a process is being invoked for the first time ever in the history of the University of Fort Hare for a student, and it is being done against me specifically after the threats I received from the vice-chancellor,” he wrote.
The university has initiated an ad hoc inquiry into the allegations made against him by invoking Prospectus DR21.
According to the rules, the vice-chancellor or their nominee may conduct an inquiry into allegations of misconduct and impose penalties ranging from warnings to fines and exclusion from university residences.
Khalakahla argues that the invocation of this process is part of a broader effort to suppress accountability and silence student voices.
“I therefore respectfully request your urgent intervention in this matter, as it is not only a direct attack on me personally but also a broader attempt to silence the voice of students, suppress accountability, and undermine democratic governance at the University of Fort Hare,” he wrote to the minister.
In a separate letter from the deputy registrar of legal affairs, the university clarified its position on legal representation for students facing disciplinary proceedings.
Attack on democratic governance
The letter, addressed to Khalakahla’s legal representative, stated that the penalties under consideration fall below the threshold required for legal representation.
“The penalties fall below the threshold required for legal representation,” wrote Ntibi Maepa, the deputy registrar: legal affairs.
The letter further emphasised that the rules for student discipline apply to all student misconduct, irrespective of whether a rule is transgressed.
Khalakahla, however, remains resolute in his fight against what he perceives as a targeted campaign to remove him from his position.
He has called on the Department of Higher Education and Training to intervene, describing the situation as a direct attack on democratic governance at the university.
“This communication also serves as a follow-up to my previous letter sent to your attention, wherein I raised concerns about the intention to plot my suspension, following intelligence reports that the vice-chancellor was actively pursuing such a suspension,” he wrote.
The SRC president’s allegations have cast a spotlight on the University of Fort Hare’s governance and its handling of dissenting voices.
Tension between students, management
Khalakahla’s letters reveal a deep-seated conflict between student leadership and university management, with accusations of intimidation, political manoeuvring, and suppressing accountability.
The ad hoc committee prepares to convene on August 21, and the university finds itself at the centre of a growing controversy that has captured the attention of students, staff, and the general public.
For Khalakahla, the stakes are high.
His call for intervention underscores the urgency of the situation and the need for transparency and accountability in the university’s governance.
“Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. I await your earliest intervention,” he concluded in his letter to the minister.
This is a developing story. We will add comments from Fort Hare, Manamela, and the portfolio committee when we receive them or in a follow-up article.
