The racist video made at the University of the Free State (UFS), the relaunch of the Forum of Black Journalists and the use of the word “kaffir” by 2010 local organising committee chairperson Irvin Khoza have opened an ugly wound on the South African landscape.
However painful it may be to confront these issues, frank debate may go some way to healing the wounds of apartheid.
For its part, the Cabinet on Thursday condemned the incidents of racism and warned transgressors of “legal consequences” should the Constitution be undermined. It said racism remains one of the major challenges facing South Africa’s young democracy and exposed the deep-seated racist stereotypes harboured by a “certain section of the population”.
“Government believes that the majority of South Africans are trying hard to emerge from the apartheid legacy of racial discrimination and no effort must be spared in ensuring that the South African project of building a united nation is not undermined by individuals who are opposed to transformation.”
While the government has made great strides in doing away with racial discrimination, it goes without saying that it is alive and well, in, say, certain areas of the Free State.
The African National Congress said this week that the UFS council should “go” because it does not want to transform. “Fourteen years after freedom, the UFS should not be talking about transformation now. The University of the Free State, the council of the UFS, must transform.”
The university’s management has unequivocally condemned the video, but appears to be guilty in not taking a more proactive stance on racial discrimination on the campus. How else to explain the climate in which the video was made?
A university spokesperson told the Mail & Guardian Online this week that “with hindsight, we should have done something about our residences earlier”.
Of course, all this is all easier said than done, but to tackle racist behaviour head-one, it seems clear that drastic action should be taken. A compulsory campus-wide colloquium may go some way to easing tensions and the debate would then be out in the open, where it belongs.
| FULL SPEED AHEAD |
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Dale Steyn
This South African quick-bowler’s star is certainly on the rise. Steyn claimed the man-of-the-series award in the recent Tests against Bangladesh, the third straight series in which he has had a noticeable impact. Steyn, who has taken 105 wickets in 20 Tests, is showing that he has what it takes to mix with the best. |
 Irvin Khoza
How many people does it take to grind an apology out of our Soccer World Cup chief? Four racists with a video camera, it appears. Khoza apologised this week for using the word ‘kaffir”, but it took a viewing of the racist video to bring him to his senses. Apology accepted, but think before insert your foot into your mouth next time. |
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