'Political' cake sale at Pretoria varsity halted

A bake sale where cake prices were determined by a person’s race was broken up by the University of Pretoria’s campus security on Friday.

The Freedom Front Plus student organisation, VF+TAS, said it held the sale to illustrate the unfairness of affirmative action.

The organisation asked white, Indian and coloured students to pay significantly more for cake than black students.

“For students affirmative action is a harsh reality. White students struggle to get bursaries and admission for courses, while black students receive preferential treatment,” Hector Beyers, leader of VF+TAS on the campus, said.

He said it was regrettable that the necessary debate about affirmative action on campus was prevented.

White students had to pay R5 for a piece of cake, coloured and Indian students R3 and black students had to pay only 50c to enjoy their piece.

African National Congress members could get their cake for free if they made a donation to a “corruption box”.

Campus security cut short the VF+TAS students’ sale by confiscating their banner and pamphlets.

University spokesperson Stella du Plessis said it received a number of complaints regarding pamphlets distributed.

“The university was of the opinion that the content of the pamphlet depicted racial stereotyping that could cause division in the student community and therefore decided to preserve harmony on campus by removing offensive material,” she said.—Sapa