‘Racism’ no wee matter

STELLENBOSCH: VARSITY SUSPENDS ‘URINATING’ STUDENT; LAUNCHES PROBE

White allegedly pees on black man’s books and laptop after break-in.

Stellenbosch University has suspended the student who allegedly urinated on the belongings of another student in an alleged racism incident.

The incident saw a white student allegedly urinating on a black student’s books and laptop after breaking into his room at Huis Marais residence in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Spokesperson Martin Viljoen said the university “strongly condemns the destructive, hurtful and racist incident” and has launched a probe into the matter.

“The alleged perpetrator was suspended from the university today. A further swift, but detailed investigation will determine the final outcomes.

“Expulsion or criminal charges are not excluded from the possible available options, based on the investigation’s findings,” he said in a statement.

“Such destructive behaviour is totally unacceptable and undermines what SU stands for, as well as the many continuous focused efforts made towards building inclusive student communities at Stellenbosch University,” the statement read.

Vice-chancellor Prof Wim de Villiers said the university is “appalled by this type of behaviour”.

“Such conduct will not be tolerated at the university. We acted swiftly and decisively to uphold our commitment to a culture of inclusivity. What happened at Huis Marais is not acceptable. No student has the right to diminish another student’s human dignity or rights in this way,” De Villiers said.

The white student has since been removed from Huis Marais, while the victim has been offered counselling.

“The student affected is clearly still in shock after his very upsetting and painful ordeal. He is still trying to process what happened and was offered counselling,” senior director of student affairs Dr Choice Makhetha said.

“He will be supported as and when required to ensure his academic progress is not affected by the incident.”

The students’ representative council (SRC) also reacted to the incident.

“We have confirmation that the case has been handed over to a caseworker at the equality unit and investigator at student discipline and we will be engaging as much as we can to ensure that the outcomes thereof match the gravity of this situation,” SRC chair Viwe Kobokana said.

“What occurred in Huis Marais was an example of the harm that follows marginalised communities and – in this case – black students.”

Students gathered at the university’s campus in a peaceful demonstration, demanding that the perpetrator be expelled.