'UFS racism problems caused by external forces'

The South African Students Congress (Sasco) in the Free State says problems of racism at the University of Free State Bloemfontein Campus are caused by external influences. Sasco says parents of white students, former white students of the university and some business organisations that fund the university are responsible for the problems.

Sasco's chairperson in the Free State, Mojalefa Simango, has appealed to both black and white parents to work together and get involved in a process of changing the university for the better. "One will refer to the incident that occurred last year, whereby the white community which includes parents and perhaps the funders of the University, were marching against racial integration," he says. Simango says the latest incident at the university shows that what is happening at the institution is not at a level of student politics or affairs but it goes beyond that to such extent that it involves external people.

Two weeks ago a controversial video emerged from the university. It shows five black workers taking part in a mock integration ceremony. The video, which sparked a national outcry, features black university employees on their knees eating food which had purportedly been urinated on by a white student.