Our statement on SU racism incident

The Centre for Public Witness wants to express its utter shock, disapproval, and dismay about an incident at the Stellenbosch University where a white student urinated on the belongings of a black student. We will wait for the full report on the investigation.

The pictures we received tell a story of a deep and bigger problem.

Without defending this despicable deed in any way, we also see it as a symptomatic result of underlying and unresolved racism, embedded in the toxic mix of a society where the abuse of alcohol and disrespect has become the norm.

We sincerely sympathise with all parties traumatised by this incident, in particular the black student and parents. We urge the SU to look deeper into the root causes of such a distasteful and unacceptable incident.

#stellenboschuniversity #racism #southafrica