Cape Town - Afrikaans language and cultural exclusion, toxic culture of residences, intimidation, bullying, mistreatment of staff, and middle management resistance to transformation, were some of the findings in the report into racism at Stellenbosch University (SU).
SU rector and vice-chancellor Professor Wim de Villiers received the independent report on findings of the Khampepe Commission of Inquiry, led by retired judge, Sisi Khampepe.
The inquiry formally commenced on June 13 was prompted by two incidents of alleged racism in May - one in which white student Theuns du Toit urinated on the belongings of black student Babalo Ndwayana.
A call for submissions attracted a mere 22 submissions by deadline.
The commission sought expert testimony from acclaimed and highly respected professors, Jonathan Jansen, Thuli Madonsela and Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela.
The report found that SU’s Student Discipline had only investigated four incidents of alleged racism since 2011.
Transformation at SU took place in a “piecemeal and unco-ordinated fashion”, the report found, with resistance to transformation from middle management.
SU’s Equality Unit was perceived as “invisible, ineffective, and an inappropriate body to be dealing with all matters of unfair discrimination”.
The unit saw a decline in racial discrimination reported annually, from 27 complaints in 2016 to two last year.
A culture of intimidation discouraged staff from reporting grievances, with black staff frequently experiencing subtle forms of racism and exclusion. Witnesses said the town was home to conservative, typically white Afrikaners, “who bear racist and other bigoted beliefs and attitudes”.
The pervasive drinking culture and alcohol abuse exacerbated problems in residences and race relations.
Professor De Villiers said they were studying the 200-page report.
“This is a sobering moment for the university. It is evident that black staff members and students do not feel welcome here, despite our deliberate transformation efforts to date.
“We must face the reality that there is a gap between our intentions with regards to various transformation initiatives and the implementation thereof,” De Villiers said.
DA Stellenbosch constituency head Dr Leon Schreiber said it would be taking the report on legal review in court, as it escalated the attack on Afrikaans.
“Since Wim de Villiers became rector of the institution, SU has perpetrated various injustices against Afrikaans students, including by banning them from speaking Afrikaans in residences and in public – a violation that the DA referred to the SA Human Rights Commission.
“But the Khampepe report escalates the attack lto unprecedented levels by effectively blaming the 7 million speakers of Afrikaans – the most diverse language in South Africa – for any and all racial tensions and incidents like the urination scandal.
“It is clear that this finding is designed to provide De Villiers with the excuse he has long sought to completely eliminate Afrikaans as an academic language.”