Festering Stellenbosch University racism blows open

JUST hours after the installation of human rights lawyer and retired Constitutional Court Justice Edwin Cameron as Stellenbosch University (SU) chancellor, hundreds of students protested against what they called institutionalised racism festering on its campus.

About 300 protesters, supported by the Student Representative Council (SRC), SA Student Congress (Sasco), and EFF Student Command (EEFSC) gathered yesterday to hand over a memorandum of demands under the #RacismMustFall Stellenbosch University Student Movement banner.

The movement said SU not only produced the founders of apartheid, with graduates including Hendrik Verwoerd, DF Malan and FW de Klerk, but it also produced apartheid policies that oppressed black people after 1948 when the National Party came to power.

Video footage of a white student, Theuns du Toit, urinating inside the room and on the desk of a black student, Babalo Ndwayana, has caused national outrage.

Ndwayana opened cases of housebreaking, malicious damage to property and crimen injuria on Tuesday at Stellenbosch police.

The movement called for the establishment of an Institutional Reconciliation and Transformation Committee (IRTC) focused on racism, the expulsion of Du Toit and the dissolution of the Huis Marais House Committee.

Justice Cameron became the university’s 15th chancellor on Wednesday evening.

He assumed office in January 2020, but the official ceremony was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. During the ceremony, Justice Cameron said: “We deserve a university – to return to the rector’s theme – that is free of the disrespect and hatred and degradation that were manifested in the ghastly incident at Huis Marais on Sunday, when a white student, Theuns du Toit, urinated on the study materials of a black student, Babalo Ndwayana.

All these things are what our national sense of dignity and selfworth entitles us to object against, to claim better.”

Before the ceremony SRC members met with SU rector and vice-chancellor Professor Wim de Villiers and Justice Cameron and informed them they would not attend the event when there was so much pain on the campus.

Justice Cameron said he respected their decision as a matter of deep principle. De Villiers said a significant part of Justice Cameron’s legal career was dedicated to using the law to work against apartheid.

“There is absolutely no place for bigotry, discrimination, prejudice, violence, victimisation, damage of property, gender-based violence, and certainly no place for racism on our campus,” De Villiers said, while addressing protesters yesterday.

“Because this campus belongs to all who study and work here, inclusivity and a welcoming spirit is and must to the best of our intents, continue to be the Stellenbosch way,” he said.

More than 150 000 people have signed a petition calling for the expulsion of, a first-year law student.

SU student and anti-racism activist Anke Spies created the change.org petition, garnering more than 100 000 signatures within 72 hours.

A rally against racism is to be held this afternoon at 5pm at Rooiplein, at SU’s main campus. The petition will be handed to the Student Discipline Office.

Spies created the petition on Monday after finding out that Du Toit was only suspended.

“I did not think this was justified punishment considering what he had done; he had violated another student’s human rights. I felt that I had to take action to advocate for justice, especially because this event took place in a university with a reputation for ignoring racism,” Spies said.

ANC leader in the legislature, Cameron Dugmore, met Ndwanyana and his father on Wednesday to show support and find a way forward.

Dugmore said a conscious programme of anti-racism among students and staff was needed.

He called for the immediate expulsion of Du Toit.

Meanwhile SU is investigating another incident that occurred at the Law Dance on May 12, when racist remarks were allegedly made towards a woman student.

“University authorities are in discussion with individuals, attendees of the dance, faculty leadership and student representatives to ascertain the facts at hand, and (gathering) more information about the formal complaint by the student,” SU said.