Free State - An agreement that saw University of the Free State cleaners forgive their tormenters after the infamous racist Reitz video five years ago, was left hanging by a thread this week.
This was after a fallout between the five former cleaners and the university over its failure to fulfil some of its promises made to them more than two years ago. The agreement preceded a reconciliation ceremony between the four Reitz students and the workers who they humiliated in a videotaped, initiation-type ceremony in protest against integration at the university. The controversial video showed the five black cleaners on their hands and knees eating food which had apparently been urinated on by one of the white students.
At his inauguration in 2009, Professor Jonathan Jansen said the university had pardoned the four former Reitz students, Danie Grobler, Johnny Roberts, Schalk van der Merwe and Roelof Malherbe, who filmed the video in 2007. This was followed by a reconciliation in June 2011.
But the process has been jolted by a series of setbacks recently. Weekend Argus sister title The Saturday Star has revealed that the five former cleaning staff were left frustrated and angry by the university after it had failed to provide them with, among other things, a key undertaking on job security as part of the deal. Their deed of settlement committed the university to help them establish a cleaning company with funds and training, and to give their company a five-year tender at the institution.
This was intended to ensure that the five did not return to the university as cleaners to suffer more humiliation. But despite their company being registered and established, the workers’ training which was scheduled to start in January and end in December last year did not take off.
Other promises yet to be fulfilled include the establishment of a centre for human rights at the university. One of the workers, Emmah Koko, said “there was a lot of frustration and anger”. They had hoped that by now they would be running a profitable business that could not only sustain itself, but also help them support their families.
The workers confirmed that a meeting was held this week to recommit to the implementation of the outstanding terms of the deed of settlement. Their legal representative, Mothusi Lepheana, said the university had recommitted to continuing with the original agreement.
“Things are now back to normal,” Lepheana said.
UFS spokeswoman Lacea Loader had not responded to questions at the time of going to print.
Saturday Star