SA needs to have structured engagements about racism, the past and commonalities in order to prevent incidents where one race goes and dehumanises another.
This is the call made by CEO of the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation Neeshan Bolton after yet another urination incident was reported at Stellenbosch University.
The university suspended a student from his residence after reports that he urinated in the room of his fellow student on Saturday.
The university said this was the second incident to take place at its residences.
Last month, a student was suspended for allegedly urinating on his roommate’s chair at Helshoogte men’s residence.
The latest incident comes as the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has decided to prosecute Theuns Du Toit, who was caught on camera in May urinating on first-year student Babalwa Ndwayana’s desk, laptop and books at the Huis Marais men’s residence.
The NPA said last week it would prosecute Du Toit for malicious damage to property and crimen injuria.
Bolton said these types of actions should be condemned and acted on.
“In universities, schools and workplaces there needs to be a much more serious engagement on issues of differences, diversity and commonality. If you look at the shallowness of the discourse and the affirmative action issue at Dis-Chem, that gives you an idea of how divided we are.
The JSE-listed pharmaceutical giant’s CEO, Ivan Saltzman, shocked the country recently when he announced that his company would be putting a moratorium on hiring whites.
“We do not have a common understanding of our past. We don’t have a common understanding of each other, therefore we should not be surprised that we have these divisions now,” Bolton said.
He described the conduct of some white students at Stellenbosch University as out of the ordinary.
“This act of dehumanising others - which is not something that we have seen anywhere else - is a second incident at this university.
“It does point to a particular mindset among some white students there because there were many white students who were appalled by the previous incident. It has a lot to do with background and where the student was brought up and the kind of things they were taught at home, which brings them to a particular viewpoint,” Bolton said.
dlaminip@sowetan.co.za
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