Evidence wa ka Ngobeni
The management of the Rand Afrikaans University (RAU) has agreed to pay compensation to victims of vicious assaults by the protection services on the campus.
RAU management has bowed to pressure from black students, who have called on the Human Rights Commission (HRC) to probe human rights violations against them.
Last year, black students clashed with the security guards after the guards insisted the students call off their “black” party. The guards apprehended four senior students and assaulted them with electric cattle prods. The university refused to investigate the assault.
The students laid a case of harassment, intimidation and assault with the Brixton police, but when they failed to investigate, students asked the HRC to conduct an investigation into racism at the university.
In a sworn statement submitted to the HRC, one of the students who was assaulted by the guards said white students also whipped black students.
The student complained that an all-white student residence committee subjected them to violent initiation and racial abuse. “Black students were forced to cook, clean carpets and wash regularly for white students,” he said.
In a letter to the HRC, RAU rector Professor JC van der Walt agreed to compensate students who provide “adequate” proof of medical expenses.
Van der Walt added that the university will also consider further training of its campus protection services, including human rights education.
“A role for the HRC in respect of such training will be agreed upon. Once relations between RAU and the HRC have been normalised, co-operation in respect of human rights education and research will be considered,” said Van der Walt.
HRC legal services head MC Moodiar confirmed that the commission has considered a settlement with RAU. “The matter is still under discussion with RAU management and I cannot comment further about it,” said Moodiar.
Malcolm X, one of the students who was injured in the alleged assault by security guards, has snubbed RAU’s offer. “Even if the RAU management can give me R1-million, as they once tried, to bribe me to be silent about this, I will never take it,” he said. “If I take the money, the institution will not change its racist practices and innocent students will continue to suffer.”