GOOD Statement by Brett Herron,
GOOD Secretary-General & Member of Parliament
10 November 2022
Stellenbosch University does not operate in a unique bubble of prejudice and separateness; it reflects the magnitude of the mountain South Africa must still climb to effect social, economic and spatial justice, and build a united nation.
Those who have responded heatedly to what is in fact a very measured report on race relations at Stellenbosch University by Judge Sisi Khampepe must examine their motives, and who or what it is that they seek to protect.
Khampepe is a retired Constitutional Court judge, who previously served as a commissioner of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Her report is a sober reflection on the realities faced by many at the University, and in South Africa, despite some progress having been made to address toxic and racist cultures.
Witnesses painted clear pictures for Khampepe of their ongoing anger, pain and frustration at the dominance of one culture and language at the university, which particularly excludes and isolates students and staff of colour.
Despite these provocations, the Khampepe Report specifically recommends that the university should, “not deprive Afrikaans-speaking students of their enjoyment of the right to study in their preferred language without appropriate justification”.
South Africans should be seriously considering the complex issues and recommendations raised in the report, and reject the efforts of verkrampte elements in society, including politicians, who appear to regard it as a political opportunity to please White voters.
Stellenbosch, and the country, needs to outgrow a past in which White, heterosexual males metaphorically – and actually, several times on the university campus this year – urinate on the dignity of everyone else.
Meaningful transformation is not easy. It requires changing attitudes rooted in our collective painful history and traditions of cultural and racial exclusion, and taught and re-taught to our children at home.
It is regrettable that the DA is intent on rushing to court to challenge the Khampepe Report. The party is compounding the hold of Afrikaner interest groups and donors, who are already using lawfare to decelerate transformation. It wants racists to know that it has their backs.
Without a substantial shift in the way South Africans see themselves and each other, without developing a culture of inclusivity and mutual respect, sustainable peace and co-existence will always be at risk.
Media Enquiries:
Brett Herron, GOOD Secretary-General & Member of Parliament
Cell: 0825183264
Email: bretth@forgood.org.za
Janke Tolmay, GOOD Media Manager
Cell: 0733671223
Email: janke@forgood.org.za