Cape Town – A group of family and friends of former Stellenbosch University (SU) student Theuns du Toit are appealing to the public for financial support to aid his legal challenge against the university.
Du Toit, who was expelled from the institution after he was filmed urinating on a fellow black student’s belongings, has approached the Western Cape High Court to have his expulsion reviewed and set aside.
This after a disciplinary hearing by the university’s independent central disciplinary committee (CDC) found him guilty in July last year.
By urinating on fellow student Babalo Ndwayana’s laptop and study material, Du Toit undoubtedly assailed his human dignity, integrity and security, the panel found.
He was then expelled with immediate effect.
Du Toit has since approached the Western Cape High Court to have the decision overturned and the group of supporters says funds raised will be used to help Du Toit in the legal challenge.
If any funds remain after the court case, a trust will be established in which the excess money will be used to help South Africans who have been unfairly accused of racism with their legal costs, the group said.
A Justice for Theuns social media group has also been launched to track updates on the case.
“As part of the university’s action plan, they started publicly slamming Theuns as a racist from the second day after the incident, before they had all the facts. It is clear that the two disciplinary committees intended to find Theuns guilty of racism at all costs, regardless of the lack of credible evidence against him.
“Going to the High Court is very expensive and the university has enough money at its disposal to hire the best legal team, which means we will also have to hire a formidable team. It is impossible to say at this early stage how much the legal costs will amount to, but we expect them to be hundreds of thousands of rand,” a post on the group reads.
“It will take a few more months before the case can be heard in court. We will use this time to continue to raise funds.”
SU spokesperson Martin Viljoen said the university was studying the contents of Du Toit’s application.
“The university received the application the week before last and is studying its content while legal advice is also being sought.
“During the litigation process, SU will not respond to questions about the matter, except to provide feedback where necessary on progress and regarding relevant institutional matters.“
Cape Times