The University of the Free State’s handling of a recent racist incident led to students expressing their dismay at the university’s main campus in Bloemfontein.
Incidents of racism have pushed UFS into the limelight 15 years ago, when female women cleaners were coerced by white male students.
The cleaners were made to take part in races and later given beer laced with urine. The incident caused a national uproar.
Last week a white student reportedly referred to a black student as a baboon during a lecture. Students want the university to take action against the alleged student and the lecturer, who downplayed the incident.
“So basically, it was saying that us complaining about the racism that we experience is a joke to white people. And here at UFS, racism is something that is present even with among us as students. It is a thing that we experience every day, even during classes,” says a student.
“Also, the complaint was taken as a joke because the lecturer said that it was just a joke when someone is complaining. So I feel like our views and opinions are not heard,” adds another student.
Impartial investigation
The Democratic Alliance Student Organisation (DASO) at the university called for an impartial investigation into what happened.
DASO chairperson Christopher Strydom says justice will prevail and the rules of the university should be applied equally to the victim and the alleged perpetrator. Strydom says they symphathise with the alleged victim.
“It is indignifying to have this happen in an institution of higher learning. It affects how a student could then participate in class, and it is really just an unacceptable occurrence on this campus. And we also want the university you take into cognizance that the exams are approaching and that they must treat this matter with the necessary sensitivity in order to avoid any protest occurring on campus that could necessarily prevent students from successfully completing their exams.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) Student Command’s, Tshepang Bambo, condemned the incident.
“So, we are still currently contemplating what steps we’re going to take to ensure that not only are we going to resolve this one incident, but we are going to get rid of the institutional racism that we currently have in our institution. That we are going to ensure that all of it is rooted out so that no one here is racially discriminated against on any colour or whatever, in particular the black students. Because, as we know, UFS has a history of such challenges. We can name Shimla; we can name other challenges that have happened inside the residences themselves even before black students were allowed back into residences.”
Tension is brewing
The University of the Free State SRC President, Axola Toto, says tension is brewing on the main campus.
Toto says soon after the incident was reported to them, they alerted the university protection services as part of the internal processes. He says the slow pace of the university’s investigation is concerning.
Toto says they will continue to monitor the case.
“That’s only how we acted when we then acted as the SRC; we wrote to the management and HR, requesting, in fact, an immediate suspension because right now we believe there are people who deliberately want to take our country back to its darkest days. So, we told them that this matter should not be kept under custody. They must speak out and then condemn it. And we told them that there is an uprising that is very possible if there is no reaction to what has happened.”
The management of the University of the Free State issued a statement saying they are investigating an incident of racism at its main campus in Bloemfontein.
The statement further said the University condemns all forms of racism and views the matter in a very serious light.
Alleged racism incident at UFS:
