A governance dispute has emerged at the University of the Western Cape (UWC) following the appointment of Dr Faeza Khan as Director of Residential Services, with the Student Representative Council (SRC) rejecting not the appointee herself, but what it describes as a flawed and opaque recruitment process.
The disagreement has exposed a wider debate about institutional governance, student participation in executive appointments, and how universities balance administrative authority with representative oversight.
In a statement issued on 30 June, the SRC said its objection was never directed at Dr Khan’s qualifications or suitability for the position. Instead, the student body argued that the appointment process lacked procedural transparency and failed to provide meaningful opportunities for student participation.
According to the SRC, it formally raised concerns after being excluded from the recruitment process, requested access to documentation relating to the appointment, and sought engagement with university management before any final decision was made.
The SRC maintains that these requests were not addressed before UWC announced Dr Khan’s appointment, a move it says undermines confidence in institutional governance and weakens the principle of shared decision-making on matters that directly affect student welfare.
The SRC has indicated that it has exhausted internal avenues of engagement and now intends to pursue available governance mechanisms, including referring the matter to the University’s Council should management fail to adequately respond to its procedural concerns.
In its statement, the SRC also criticised the leadership of the Student Development and Support Division, arguing that the appointment process reflected an increasingly centralised style of administration that sidelines elected student leadership.
The council warned that allowing appointments to proceed while governance concerns remain unresolved risks normalising unilateral decision-making within the institution.
The University, however, has presented a markedly different narrative.
In announcing the appointment, Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Student Development and Support Professor Matete Madiba described Dr Khan as an experienced higher education leader whose appointment follows an extensive career dedicated to student success, institutional transformation and residence management.
Dr Khan officially assumes office on 1 July.
She returns to UWC after serving as Centre Director of the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) Cape Town, where she oversaw academic programmes, student support services, operational management, financial oversight, legal compliance and student accommodation partnerships.
Her previous experience at UWC spans more than a decade, including eleven years as Living Learning Coordinator, where she led the University’s Living-Learning Model designed to integrate academic success with residence life. She also served in an acting management capacity within Student Life and later contributed to institutional strategy and policy development in the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor.
Her academic credentials also align closely with her new portfolio. Her doctoral research examined students’ lived experiences within UWC residences, providing a research-based understanding of the challenges and opportunities associated with university accommodation.
From the University’s perspective, the appointment reflects a strategic effort to strengthen Residential Services by appointing a leader with both institutional knowledge and extensive operational experience.
The dispute therefore centres less on who has been appointed and more on how the appointment was made.
South African universities generally recognise students as key stakeholders in institutional governance through structures established under the Higher Education Act and university statutes. Student Representative Councils typically participate in governance through Senate, Council and various institutional committees. However, the extent of SRC involvement in senior staff appointments differs across institutions and is often governed by internal policies rather than national legislation.
The SRC’s position raises important questions about whether consultation should extend beyond formal governance structures into recruitment processes for senior administrative posts that have a direct impact on student life.
Equally, university management retains a responsibility to conduct recruitment processes that comply with labour legislation, institutional policies and principles of confidentiality while ensuring appointments are made efficiently and on merit.
The challenge for institutions is balancing these sometimes competing obligations.
The appointment of a Director of Residential Services carries particular significance at UWC, where residence management has become increasingly important amid growing student demand for accommodation, ongoing debates around residence safety, affordability, infrastructure maintenance and the integration of student support services.
As a result, confidence in the legitimacy of appointments to such positions can influence relationships between university leadership and the student community long after recruitment processes have concluded.
Whether the matter ultimately reaches the University’s Council may determine whether the debate expands beyond this individual appointment into a broader review of governance practices and stakeholder participation at UWC.
For now, the University has proceeded with Dr Khan’s appointment, while the SRC maintains that the process remains subject to legitimate scrutiny.
The outcome may set an important precedent for how future senior appointments involving student-facing portfolios are managed at the institution.