UCT students walk out of meeting to discuss future
Fracas follows controversy over Rhodes statue Network calls for Rhodes’s removal
STUDENTS at UCT walked out of a meeting to discuss heritage and symbolism – and the future of the Cecil John Rhodes statue. The meeting was scheduled before the controversy about the statue erupted. It was the target of a poo-thrower earlier this month as it reportedly represented colonialism and white supremacy.
At last night’s meeting it quickly became clear that students intended to disrupt it when a number of them raised their hands during deputy vice-chancellor Professor Crain Soudien’s opening speech.
Students, all dressed in black, demanded that SRC president Ramabina Mahapa be the first panel member to speak, pushing him ahead of other speakers, heritage consultant Sally Titlestad, city councillor Owen Kinahan and Nic Shepherd from UCT’s African Studies department.
Once Mahapa took centre stage he led the students in song, prompting a majority of those in attendance to stand and wave around “Rhodes Must Fall” banners.
“As black students we cannot continue to walk around this Eurocentric institution which celebrates cultures and symbols which blacks cannot identify with,” said Mahapa.
“We as children of Africa are suffering because out heritage is not looked after. We as children of Africa need to make sure that our children will hear about African heroes and not just honour the names of people who history has shown to be white supremacists.”
Mahapa said the time had come for UCT students to express their values freely and take action.
With that Mahapa dropped his microphone and walked out of the lecture room, followed by all the black-clad students who began toyi-toying outside. Soudien and the other panellists remained seated.
Outside Chumani Maxwele, who last week desecrated the statue with faeces, said: “We walked out because the university still has not dropped the charges against us for the actions of last week. We cannot speak to them if we are potential criminals.
“The only time we will speak is when they drop the charges and they give us a date of when the statue will be taken down. That is the only way we will have a dialogue.”
Following the walkout, panellist Titlestad said the dialogue should not continue and after some disagreements from members in the audience the meeting was ended.
Titlestad, a spatial historian and heritage management consultant, said: “We cannot have a discussion regarding this matter when those who have obligations are no longer part of the meeting. The purpose of the dialogue was to discuss the issues and get both points of view. If the one is no longer here then we cannot discuss.”
UCT staff members said they encouraged students to take part in dialogues.
Dr Aditi Hunma, a lecturer in the Education Development Unit, said: “Would the removal of the statue lead to forgetfulness, a sanitisation of history, or would it invite more engagement? What are some ways for students to re-narrate the place, and for them to take ownership of the stories?
“There are also important icons such as Steve Biko and Cissie Gool, after whom two university sites have been named. One needs to pay some attention to these figures as well, so that those who need to be remembered are not forgotten.”
PICTURES: DAVID RITCHIE THE HIGHER Education Transformation Network has added its voice to those of UCT students calling for the removal of Cecil John Rhodes’s statue.
“The university must know that it exists for students and should therefore care for its students at all times,” the network said.
According to its website it is made up of graduates and alumni from various higher education and further educational institutions across South Africa “committed to the process of transformation of education and training”.
“Higher Education Transformation Network has always said that there are deep-seated problems at UCT which require immediate attention. We salute the brave students for taking a lead in the transformation process of one of the most untransformed universities in South Africa.”
Gerda Kruger, the executive director: communication and marketing department at UCT, said the university viewed protest as a basic right “and rigorous debate lies at the core of a university’s character”.
“In terms of the particular matter of the Rhodes statue, we note the views of those participating in the protest action. We recognise that there are divergent views in our community about the statue and its place on campus. We appreciate the controversy about Rhodes and the role he played in the founding of UCT. It is important that these matters are debated.”
UCT previously indicated that it disagreed with the network’s assumption that transformation was not a priority and indicated that it had made numerous statements about efforts to increase the number of black students as well as to appoint more black staff to senior academic and professional positions. – Education Writer
‘WE WALKED OUT BECAUSE THE UNIVERSITY STILL HAS NOT DROPPED THE CHARGES AGAINST US…’