In lieu of the normal Mitre Message, this is a brief report on the Special General Meeting of the OD Union held last night in The Mallett Centre. For those wishing to view the video of the evening’s proceedings, please contact Nicole at The Mitre: [email protected]

Following several months filled with passionate intensity and the potential for things to fall apart, a Special General Meeting of the ODU was held in the Mallett Centre last night – and ultimately sense prevailed. A contentious vote of no confidence brought by the SGM10 group was withdrawn, with the Committee and SGM10 agreeing on a proactive way forward.

A little after the scheduled 6pm start, 601 ODs had registered and taken their places in the Mallett Centre. There was standing room only. The event was livestreamed on Zoom, with a peak audience of just on 500 viewers.

Proceedings began with a prayer and an appeal for kindness in the spirit of St Paul from Father Monwabisi Peter, who reminded us that August is the month of reconciliation. It was a sentiment that ultimately augured well, though there was a lot of hard debate to come in the two hours that followed.

The chair for the evening, Justice Craig Howie, read out messages from the Patron Raymond Ackerman and the Principal Guy Pearson (both of whom were absent). The former expressed both his dismay that the SGM had not been avoided and his neutrality in what was to come. The latter was more emphatic in his disappointment in how events had affected the broader school.

There followed four ten-minute presentations, two from the SGM10, by Simon Burrows (1968F) and Jonathan Shaw (1997G), and two from the Committee, by Anton Taylor (2005B) and Mnotho Makhoba (2013S). Numerous responses then came from the floor, until proceedings came to a head around 8.15pm.

In the course of the evening several consistent themes emerged:

ODs of the highest calibre, including members of the Committee, SGM10 and others, had been working long hours – entailing thousands of WhatsApps and hundreds of hours of conversation – over the course of months to reach a suitable agreement that would pave the way forward for the Union.
The thrust of the Committee’s work in recent years, along with those on the Committee itself, was held in high regard by the majority.
The love and respect for WP van Zyl was manifest throughout proceedings, along with a sense of regret as to how the specifics had played out. WP’s good name was frequently praised and applauded.

The final speaker from the floor was Lukhanyo Neer (2008B), who summarised, to much applause, the sentiment of the room as follows: “A vote is not in the best interests of the union or the school… We need to pause and have a conversation as a Union on how we seek to move forward.”

Out of this came the opportunity for settlement: a small adjustment to an agreement that had almost been reached the day before, but which had then fallen through. The SGM10 offered to withdraw the motion of no confidence if the Committee accepted the revised agreement, and when the Committee accepted the offer the room erupted in cheers and applause.

For details of the agreement, see the Statement on behalf the OD Union committee and those who had called the SGM, by clicking the button below.

Statement

In response to evening’s events, Adam Pike (1992O), Chairman of the ODU, had this to say:

“The time for constituencies is over. This is a Union and a home for all of us. It’s now time for us to move ahead in unity and with purpose. Thank you to all ODs who have taken the time to be involved in recent months – but this isn't the end. This is just the beginning. As a result of last nights' agreement, the Committee believes that the Union is more unified, transformed, diverse and forward-looking than it’s ever been. We ask you to stay engaged with us, now that we have found calmer waters, so that we can make the most of this opportunity. Lastly, and importantly, our thoughts and best wishes go to WP.”

Gavin Fitzmaurice (1984G), on behalf of the SGM10, wrote:

“It does the ODU enormous credit that last night the Mallet Centre was filled to capacity with ODs, and that what followed ultimately became a celebration of the Bishops Way as we came together to find a solution that brought us back together. Despite the inevitable robustness of the most lively debate which will always epitomise our finest traditions and learnings we found our common ground. There were no winners, and no losers. We all celebrated a try under the posts in the dying minutes, and it was 16-16 with all honour intact. There are bruises but they will heal.”

After the SGM, several hundred ODs retired to The Mitre to run their post-mortems, conversations that carried on into the early hours. The prevailing sentiment was that many fine ODs had stepped into the breach to help generate a sense of unity and purpose in a Union in crisis.

Much good work has already been done, and there is now more to come, with a clear plan. This crisis has now left us with an opportunity that cannot and should not be wasted.

Issued on behalf of the committee, the SGM10 and all ODs