The transition from one-party rule and other forms of authoritarianism to multiparty democracy in the 1990s has had a profound impact on the organisation and role of student politics in Africa. Against the background of student involvement in African politics in the twentieth century, leading up to student participation in Africa's 'second liberation' in the early 1990s, the paper analyses the organisation of student governments, student representation in institutional and national governance, student unionism and the emergence of political parties in student politics in the 2000s. Proceeding from Munene's argument regarding a shift in oppositional politics in Africa away from students to multiparty politics, this paper finds that party politics is also increasingly implicated in African student politics with varied results. The paper concludes by proposing a tentative framework for understanding the impact of high levels of resource exchange between student leaders and political parties on student representation.

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South African universities have been facing a critical shortage in the provision of student housing for several years now, and the establishment of public-private partnerships (PPPs) is seen as part of the solution to address the shortage (Rensburg, 2011). This article investigates the effectiveness of the Students' Representative Council (SRC) of the University of the Western Cape (UWC) in representing student interests during its negotiations with university management to reduce the user-price per student for the new Kovacs Residence, a PPP student housing complex on the UWC campus. It thus highlights some of the complexities involved in public-private collaborations on student housing provision, including the tension between profitability, affordability and equity in the face of organised student power.The article shows that, considering the various initiatives taken by the SRC to engage university management, and the resulting reduction of the user-price per annum, students' interests were effectively represented by the SRC, even if this view does not correspond with the perceptions of students. Our analysis uncovers many deficiencies in student representation processes both within student structures and university management. It is supported by data from in-depth interviews and a focus group discussion. Interviews were conducted with SRC members and university management, and a focus group discussion was facilitated with students in residences.

What are the characteristics and implications of the relationship between student leaders and national political parties in African universities? As the most prestigious university of Uganda,Makerere University represents a model case for investigating the involvement of political parties in student politics. Drawing on propositions adapted from Weinberg and Walker (1969), Schmitter andStreeck (1999), and others, this article uses data generated by means of in-depth interviews and an online survey to analyse the relationship between political parties and student leaders. It considers the reasons why student leaders and political parties establish a relationship; how it is maintained; and what its effects are on student leaders' ability to represent student interests. It finds that various kinds of resource exchange are key to understanding the relationship and considers its implications. The article concludes by recommending institutional interventions to curb the extent of resources that a party can provide to student leaders so as to contain the negative effects of the relationship while maintaining the potential for universities to act as 'training grounds' of democracy.