​Dear Colleagues and Students

​The Dean’s Management Team is distressed by the current crisis with respect to good governance and accountability in our country. We would like to publicly express our grave concern about these matters and call upon the leaders of our nation to urgently take action to restore transparency, accountability, integrity, constitutionality and ethical behaviour to the Office of the President and government. 

​We note calls that have been made by various groupings - civil society, political parties and faith communities, among others - for citizens to take action and for a national protest to take place on Friday 07 April 2017. We would like to express our full support for this movement in an effort to restore and save our constitutional democracy. 

​The Preamble to the Constitution of South Africa is now prominently and proudly displayed on our campus. Our Constitution promotes the values of respect for human dignity, achievement of equality, advancement of human rights and freedoms, non-racialism, non-sexism, the supremacy of the Constitution, and the rule of law, among other things. We support the right that citizens have to express their concerns about matters that threaten our Constitution and our country. As stated by our Dean at the recent unveiling of the Preamble: “Our hard-won democracy, underpinned by the Constitution, has to be defended. Let us continue to advocate to protect the Constitution, while we live the values that are enshrined therein.”

​Recognizing the right of staff and students to express their opinions and concerns through various ways, including legal, peaceful protest action, the Dean’s Management Team supports those who wish to participate in the planned activities in Cape Town on Friday 7th April 2017.

​Please note that, as previously communicated by the Rector, all SU and FMHS activities will continue as normal and our campus will therefore be fully operational on Friday. For those who support the cause and are unable to take leave to join the off-campus activities, we would like to extend an invitation to join us in a show of solidarity with the national protest action through a peaceful protest on-campus. 

​We will meet at lunchtime on Friday 07 April (from 12h45-13h45) on the lawn in front of the Tygerberg Student Centre. The protest will take the form of a “community picket” and will include informal discussions about the current national developments. Please feel free to bring along your South African flags and to make your own placards for the occasion.

​I do hope that those of you who share our concern and who are unable to take leave to join the activities in Cape Town will be able to attend the on-campus event.   

Kind regards

​Prof Nico C Gey van Pittius
​Acting Dean, FMHS