The flipside of the university fracas=20
* AS a former SRC president of the University of =20 Durban Westville (1993) and currently a member of the =20 executive of Convocation, I am concerned about the =20 negative reports that it has received in the press and =20 I have begun to believe that the press itself is =20 playing a role in this fracas.=20
I do not wish to jump to the defence of any specific =20 organisation or person on campus. However, I cannot be =20 silent on your paper’s apparent complicity in =20 attempting to destroy many sincere fighters for change =20 at UDW. One such person is Dr Ashwin Desai. =20
The piece on the conflict on campus (“It’s spy vs spy =20 at UDW” Mail & Guardian October 13 to 19) is completely =20 off the mark. Casting the problem as one between =20 “Asian” workers resistant to real change and African =20 students who think of transformation as the absence of =20 those “Asians”, is extremely simplistic. =20
What is lost in this simplification is the debate on =20 determining the nature of a tertiary institution and =20 the rights and obligations of communities around it to =20 project a non-exclusive culture. =20
Is it wrong for UDW, because it is in Durban, to teach =20 Urdu and Persian, as this might be seen as a sign of =20 ethnic ownership of the university? Will these =20 departments, if situated in Turfloop, far from large =20 Indian communities, have a greater right to existence? =20
At the same time, why is the teaching of Northern Sotho =20 at Turfloop, or Venda at Venda University, not seen as =20 ethnic ownership of these universities? Why is white =20 and Western influence viewed as natural in universities =20 while black or Eastern influences are challenged? These =20 are some of the questions at UDW missed by Ms Garson.=20
While I do not believe in maintaining rigid ethnic =20 divisions and privilege and while I say that change at =20 UDW must speed up, I think it is incorrect if Indian =20 South Africans are made to feel as if they are not full =20 citizens of South Africa. — Lordwish Sethole=20
* MANY of us, residence workers at UDW, were =20 interested to read your article last week on UDW. It is =20 very clear to all of us that your reporter did not =20 actually visit or bother to talk to any of us employed =20 in the catering division of the university.=20
Many of us residence workers (we are called Asians by =20 your reporter, or does she mean aliens?) leave home at =20 3.30am to arrive at work to begin food preparations for =20 our students at 5.00am. Many of us have done this job =20 with happiness for over a decade at UDW, with poor pay =20 and harsh conditions of service. We know that these =20 students are the future leaders of our country and we =20 are proud of them. We fought alongside students against =20 Afrikaner rule at UDW. We understand oppression because =20 we feel it every day in our lives. We are not =20 conservative. Your reporter equates “Asian” with =20 conservative. She equates transforming this university =20 with doing away with as many of the “Asians” as =20
Is fighting to save your job, your family, racist? For =20 example, would Philippa Garson be racist if she fought =20 for her job if she was chased out of it for being =20 white? Worse still, if someone supported Philippa would =20 that person be a racist? Your argument that Ashwin =20 Desai is a racist or against transformation because he =20 has bravely fought for us is plain nonsense. =20
The private company that has been brought in pays =20 poverty wages (workers take home less than R1 000 per =20 month), offers no medical, pension/provident fund =20 benefits, while their workers remain temporary and so =20 cannot be unionised.=20
How can someone who supports the private company be for =20 transformation? How can a rich student, with a bursary =20 and big spending allowance and coming from a private =20 school, who openly says, “Indians Go Home!”, be the =20 champion of transformation and non-racialism? — Shanti =20 Nunkumar, Victor Narsiah, Colin Chetty and M Anand=20
* AS a member of the UDW SRC, I am extremely disturbed =20 at Philippa Garson’s analysis of the situation at UDW. =20 She operates out of a narrow racial paradigm. I live in =20 the residence, am a believer in the philosophy of =20 Robert Sobukwe, and have been a member of Paso. I am an =20 Africanist. However, I supported the struggles of the =20 residence workers. Hundreds of African students like me =20 do not support the removal of what your reporter terms =20 “Asian workers”.=20
Dr Desai’s support of the residence workers is =20 consistent with his support for the oppressed and =20 exploited. Two years ago he marched alongside me =20 through the streets of Durban, protesting against the =20 detaining of PAC leaders even though he is not a PAC =20 member. At the march he was brutally beaten up and =20 locked up. =20
Very clearly your reporter has not come to grips with =20 the realities of UDW. Spy stories are really a minor, =20 albeit sensational, aspect of the truth about UDW.=20
The story is really about lack of proper management and =20 leadership. It is the story of the legacy of the =20 university’s previous rector, Professor Jairam Reddy. -=20 – Robert Laco Malunga, University of Durban-Westville=20
Floundering in financial olympics=20
CHRIS Ball makes serious and outrageous allegations =20 which demonstrate his contempt for our city and its =20 people (M&G October 6 to 12).=20
He says that the “key difference” between Capetonians =20 and the rest of the world is that “Capetonians don’t =20 understand finance”. He describes correspondents to =20 your newspaper (who have expressed concerns over the =20 bid) as being afflicted by “madness”. He says that the =20 bid company “has not touched a cent of ratepayers’ =20
Aside from the intolerable arrogance of such =20 statements, Mr Ball needs to be made aware:=20
Cape Town may not be the financial “powerhouse” that =20 Johannesburg is (quo vadis Old Mutual, Sanlam, Southern =20 Life, Metlife and so on) but we do understand money, =20 which is precisely why we are keeping council and bid =20 spending under such close scrutiny.=20
Capetonians cherish democracy, and will always speak =20 out if its basic tenets, like transparency and =20 accountability, are compromised.=20
Ratepayers’ money — and lots of it — has already been =20 spent on the bid. Who paid for the airfares and =20 excursions abroad? Who is meeting the costs of seconded =20 city officials? Who is footing the R20-million bill for =20 the Hartleyvale hockey stadium (which would never have =20 been built without the “justification” of the bid)?=20
By these statements, Mr Ball has blown his cover: we =20 now know what this recent immigrant to our city really =20 thinks of us.=20
But, then again, are we important in his life? Probably =20 not, because in the same interview, he says that =20 “three-quarters” of the economic benefit “will be felt =20 outside the Western Cape”. Fine, then let them pay for =20 it. — Arthur J Weinburg, City Councillor, Cape Town=20
Stop the abuse=20
OJ’S Simpson’s trial started out as a case about lethal =20 domestic violence — a shockingly prevalent problem in =20 the United States, South Africa and many other =20
Femicide (the misogynist murder of women and girls) is =20 one of many destructive consequences of sexism. Men =20 like OJ see their wives as their property, a perception =20 that often persists even after separation or divorce. =20 They cannot tolerate their wives or ex-wives exercising =20 the same rights as men because they see women as =20 inferior and because they feel men are entitled to =20 dominate and possess them.=20
Despite the fact that so many women are being killed =20 throughout the world because of sexism (this is =20 presumably a factor in the serial murders of at least =20 40 women in the Johannesburg area), most people refuse =20 to recognise the political nature of these crimes.=20
Johnnie Cochran turned the trial into an anti-racism =20 trial. It appears that the jurors also overlooked =20 sexism — despite the fact that ten of them were women. =20 But Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman are dead now because =20 of sexism, not racism.=20
This trial and the public response to it shows that =20 there is still relatively little concern about all the =20 beatings, rapes, torture and murder that is happening =20 in millions of American homes. At the very least, =20 Simpson should be vilified as a wife beater and rapist. =20
All people who care about sexism must respond to this =20 appalling miscarriage of justice by redoubling their =20 efforts to ensure that sexist men who intimidate, =20 terrorise, torture and kill women get the punishment =20 they deserve. — Diana E H Russell, Emerita Professor =20 of Sociology, Mills College, Oakland, US=20
Laying the ghost to rest=20
THE intellectual dishonesty that runs through the =20 letter of K Sojola (M&G October 6-12) against Professor =20 Jerry Mosala is beyond disgust, and beneath contempt.=20
Dr Ramphele wrote: “It is not insignificant that none =20 of (Biko’s) close political associates from the 1970s =20 are members of Azapo.”=20
Is this statement true or false? Comrade Biko was part =20 of the black caucus which led to the founding of Saso =20 and the formulation of the thinking which guides the =20 BCM together with the likes of Nchaupe Mokoape, Strini =20 Moodley and Drake Tshenkeng. All these are members of =20 Azapo. =20
Some of the founders of Saso continue to serve this =20 organisation loyally, yet Sojola completely disregards =20 the fact that the debate in question was precipitated =20 by Mrs Mamphela Mabane insinuating that Azapo had no =20 right to exist, and that the organisation’s claims to =20 association with Comrade Steve Biko were fraudulent.=20
Other defenders of Mamphele are not far behind on the =20 deviousness stakes. Both James Wilmot and Helen Zille =20 indulge in the exercise of presenting Mamphele as a =20 heroine maligned by an atavistic male chauvinist =20 movement. Dozens of assertive women served the BCM with =20 distinction, and wrote more profoundly on concepts and =20 issues of the struggle without the adulation which =20 white liberal institutions such as Idasa lavish on =20 defectors to their cause.=20
On the level of intellectual debate, there is a subtle =20 distortion of the concept of United Front which =20 Mamphele equates with multi-racialism. There is no =20 contradiction between “continuing the focus on black =20 solidarity”, which Azapo does, and pursuing co-=20 operation with other organisations, which is the =20 essence of the United Front in liberation struggles. =20 Mamphele’s chosen allies, however, work for a =20 situation where all other parties must sub-ordinate =20 themselves to their own programmes, and that is not a =20 united front.=20
Mamphele’s heroic ending then is that “It is time to =20 let him and BCM be”. But does she herself do so? It may =20 surprise some of your readers that having made this =20 plea, she went on to submit to a 10-page illustrated =20 interview with a monthly magazine. That, is the essence =20 of inconsistency. — Vuyisa Qunta, Publicity and =20 Information Secretary, Azapo=20
Male of the other extreme=20
WHEN the M&G is delivered to our workplace, the first =20 thing that we do is to read Bafana Khumalo’s column.=20
We love the way he blends history with facts. His =20 style, definitely, touches your raw nerve. He is great!=20
To understand his writing you need an understanding of =20 South African history as well as contemporary socio-=20 politics. Bafana dishes out the flavoured story, and =20 leaves the decision to the reader.=20
Keep it up, Native Tongue! — Owen Chaza, Kwa-Mashu=20
* PART of the problem of the colonised is that they =20 have been so dehumanised and bludgeoned by the blunt =20 and crude weapons of colonialism and apartheid that =20 their minds find it difficult to accommodate subtlety. =20 Not surprisingly therefore, MK Musgrave (M&G October =20 6 to 12) finds it difficult to understand the subtle, =20 profound and insightful analysis of your excellent =20 columnist — Bafana Khumalo. — WR Jacobs, Hogsback=20
* THANK God for the M&G, NNTV and Urban Creep. — =20 Michael de Villiers, Kloof=20