In addition, brochures which were being distributed on campus to advertise the festival, presented by Idasa, were confiscated by university authorities.
The film component of the festival remains unaffected and will continue its run at Kine 1 in Stellenbosch. The sudden decision, taken by the university rector, Professor Mike de Vries, has been greeted by festival organisers, Idasa and the university's film society as a "political move" reeking of "blatant censorship".
But a spokesman for the rector's office, Douglas Davis, claimed the decision to stop the video festival was based on a "technicality". "The publicity material being circulated on the festival mentioned only Idasa – nowhere was it mentioned that the festival fell under the auspices of the Film Society, an acknowledged student organisation, he said.
Dr Edwin Hees, chairman of the Film Society, said that the venue for the festival had been organised and paid for by the society and that it should "presumably have the right to arrange any programme it wishes". "It seems clear that the university authorities have taken a political decision."
This article originally appreared in the Weekly Mail
