Demonstrations across campus (representative)
A South African university has been embroiled in controversy after a video posted on social media showed a white student urinating on a black student’s personal belongings. The clip came from Stellenbosch University and received widespread criticism online.
Cellphone recordings circulating on social media show the man breaking into the home of a first-year black student. In the clip the student is heard asking the white student, “Why are you urinating in my room?” For which the student responds inaudibly and then shouts “calm”.
A white student urinates in the home of first-year black students, claiming what ‘they’ do to black boys. I can’t keep quiet about this, there needs to be justice. I urge you to play your part so that it cannot be covered up pic.twitter.com/kbPVZuP6YT
– Miracle (@wanda_smash) May 15, 2022
According to South Africa Swetan Live, The boy, identified as 25-year-old Tunis du Toit, said “this is a white thing, boy” when 20-year-old Babalo Andoana recorded him. Speaking to the publication, he said, “After he started urinating, my primary thought was to fight him, but a neighbor who heard what was happening came and told me to come and film him, because I would get in trouble and the whole thing would happen.” Insulting him … I feel violated and I’m still hurt. Where my privacy and dignity are violated. ” The university suspended Du Tait earlier this week.
The South African Union of Students, which represents student councils representing all of South Africa’s public universities, issued a statement condemning the incident. A portion of the statement called on law enforcement to “move quickly to apprehend the perpetrators and bring them to justice.”
Response to racist attacks on the South African Union of Students Stellenboskunipic.twitter.com/fPnoSKziQX
– South African Students Union (SAUS_2019) May 18, 2022
Protests erupted across campus, including the university’s vice-chancellor Wim de Villiers, saying, “We are appalled by this kind of behavior. Such behavior will not be tolerated in the university. ”
