University of the Free State (UFS) Rector Jonathan Jansen says transformation has been a success at the tertiary institution that was embroiled in a racial row last year. Jansen was participating in a debate about leadership and transformation at tertiary level at the University of Cape Town (UCT) last night.

Jansen says he is satisfied with the rate of transformation at UFS. He says the university tackled the issue of racism head on and that students are now looking to the future and not the past.

Jansen's counterpart at UCT, Max Price says the transformation challenges at the country's 23 universities are all different. He says integration at so called former white liberal universities like UCT, has to focus more on the transformation of its staff, student bodies and the attitude of students when they leave university.

UFS was in the spotlight after four white students made a video which caused a racial storm. The video shows the four forcing five black cleaners to eat meat soaked in urine. The four students RC Malherbe, Johnny Roberts, Schalk van der Merwe and Danie Grobler made the video in 2007 while living at the university's now closed Reitz men's residence. In the video the campus employees - four women and a man - were also allegedly forced to drink full bottles of beer and perform athletic tasks.

SA's transformation

The video is believed to have been recorded in protest against the university's plans to racially integrate students residences.

Meanwhile, in his capacity as chairperson for the evening's debate, former Education Minister Kader Asmal, said he was disappointed that there has not been an acknowledgement of the crime of apartheid by white South Africans. He says that was what was missing from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He also says that racism should be tackled head on at tertiary institutions.

Asmal said that South Africa is actually doing well and that transformation has not failed.