The outgoing treasurer of Stellenbosch University’s (SU) Student Representative Council (SRC) has come under fire for sharing funding opportunities via his personal social media rather than official channels. This was raised at a student plenary sitting hosted by Student Parliament at the final meeting of the current elected officials.
At the sitting on 6 August, which took place at the Maths and Industrial Psychology building on central campus, outgoing SRC treasurer Sinawo Sangovana was questioned by students, about his posting two bursary opportunities on his personal WhatsApp status – first on 10 April, and again on 8 May – rather than through the SRC’s public Instagram page.
Sangovana said both opportunities came with urgent deadlines and that he shared them with contacts and student leaders he believed could pass the information on quickly.
Senkosi Nuku, vice chair of the societies council at SU for 2025/26, said the pattern “reinforces the feeling that the SRC is failing us”.
Outgoing Student Representative Council (SRC) treasurer, Sinawo Sangovana, addresses Student Parliament, accounting for the communication of two bursary opportunities that were shared privately rather than through official SRC channels. PHOTO: Ella Bosman
“I understand that when I communicated [it was] in a manner that was not the right way,” Sangovana said, adding that the approach excluded students without access to his private channels.
Sangovana responded that the opportunities arrived with tight turnaround times, and that contacting individual leaders directly would have taken longer than he had available.
“If I waited for the procedure of communicating widely, it may take a much longer time, and unfortunately, maybe no student [would] have received that funding,” he said.
Societies council vice chair, Senkosi Nuku, questions the outgoing Student Representative Council (SRC) treasurer, Sinawo Sangovana’s communication practices, telling parliament the incident “reinforces the feeling that the SRC is failing us” on 6 August. PHOTO: Ella Bosman
Salaman Omar, a third-year LLB student, questioned why Sangovana had not used Instagram, where the SRC had over 8 000 followers at the time of the sitting – “if efficiency and speed were [the] priorities”.
Salaman Omar, third-year LLB student, questions outgoing Student Representative Council (SRC) treasurer, Sinawo Sangovana, on his decision to share bursary opportunities via WhatsApp status rather than the SRC’s official channels, during the sitting of student parliament on 6 August. PHOTO: Ella Bosman
Speaking afterwards, Omar said he found Sangovana’s explanation more convincing than the treasurer’s earlier answers on the floor, once it emerged that Sangovana said he had received the request only an hour before the 08:00 deadline.
“I could sympathise with what he did. I can’t condone it,” Omar said, adding that the pool of students able to view the opportunity was effectively limited to those who personally know the SRC. He said, despite this, he has little trust in the SRC’s process going forward.
Speaker, Solomzi Mphambo, presides over student parliament as members raise concern over the Student Representative Council’s (SRC) communication of student funding opportunities over private WhatsApp status rather than official channels. PHOTO: Ella Bosman
Responding to the concerns raised, Martin Viljoen, SU spokesperson, said the university communicates funding opportunities through several established channels.
“Stellenbosch University regularly communicates bursary and funding opportunities to undergraduate and postgraduate students through various channels, including official dedicated emails and newsletters,” said Viljoen. “These opportunities are shared institutionally, as well as through faculties and academic and support departments.”
“The SRC also frequently amplifies bursary and funding opportunities through its communication channels,” Viljoen added. “The nature, timing and format of such communication, however, remain at the discretion of the SRC.”
According to Sangovana, the first bursary opportunity, which required four students to apply by 08:00 on 10 April, was filled after he shared it, though he did not provide details on how many students ultimately applied through the second bursary shared on 8 May. Sangovana did not respond to follow-up questions despite multiple attempts to contact him.
Parliament did not put forward a formal motion or resolution on the matter. Sangovana said the SRC’s shortcomings, including this incident, would be detailed in his handover report to the incoming SRC, and committed to using both Instagram and WhatsApp for future funding opportunities, alongside the SRC’s mass mailer where time allows.