Local News
Tomorrow's NWU march condemned─── 15:26 Wed, 23 Jul 2014
Potchefstroom - The Higher Education Transformation Network (HETN) acting on behalf of its alumni members, hereby condemns the planned march tomorrow by rightwing students against the findings of the Wessels Task team Report at the NWU Potchefstroom campus.
On the surface the memorandum seems to be an effort by rightwing students to stand up for themselves, but for anybody who knows NWU Potchefstroom dynamics, it is clear that the initiative is driven by NWU management who have their backs against the wall after the Wessels Task Team report came to light. The Wessels report is never mentioned in the memorandum, but there can be little doubt that the current student mobilization is a desperate effort to buffer any possible negative outcome of the damning findings.
The memorandum creates the impression that there has been a breakdown of communication between the student body and campus management and they demand the establishment of “forum” where rightwing students can voice their concerns about “misperceptions”. The truth is, however, that the SRC and management on the NWU Potchefstroom campus are extremely close.
So close in fact that the SRC member for media and communication is employed by the notorious marketing department known as BEK.
The rightwing students claim they have been accused of “discrimination”, “being in favour of initiation” and an “inability to change”. They do not specify who made these claims or when it was made. They do however make reference to “one-sided” reporting that was published in Beeld. It is clear the rightwing students feel they have been portrayed in an unfair light, but they do not provide any evidence to show that they did not contribute directly to the negative publicity. They also fail to mention that the NWU did lay charges against Beeld at the Press Ombudsman, but later decided to withdraw it.
Fact is, it would be impossible for rightwing students or management to claim innocence, because thousands of students in residences on the Potchefstroom campus have actively taken part in various offensive and problematic rituals over the past years. The Wessels report confirms that there was by no means just one incident where students made the Nazi salute – it has been a long-standing tradition in many student residences.
After Beeld’s coverage of the Nazi salute, hundreds of students and former students at NWU Potchefstroom admitted on social media that they have made the Nazi salute (accompanied by the “Heil PUK!” cry) and the majority were unapologetic about it. It is absurd to accuse one newspaper of biased reporting as the issue of offensive traditions has been brought to the attention of management at the NWU Potchefstroom campus often by several concerned staff members. The Wessels report deals extensively with how management had failed to act when complaints were initially made about the Nazi salute.
It is obvious that the students’ demand that Potchefstroom remains an Afrikaans campus is made without awareness of how a predominant Afrikaans culture has served to exclude students from other races and cultures on the Potchefstroom campus. The memorandum is silent about the shocking reality that a country where only 40% of the Afrikaans speakers are white would allow a state sponsored Afrikaans university to provide education on a campus that remains almost exclusively white.
The rightwing students accuse management of making statements without first obtaining the “facts and information” from students themselves.
Ironically, exactly the opposite is true – the management of the NWU Potchefstroom has time and again tried to dismiss criticism of problematic cultural practices by citing statistics of how many students are perfectly satisfied with existing res culture.
The rightwing students say they are against “numbers transformation”
which they deem “political rhetoric” and in turn demand a “change of thinking, the removal of misperceptions and the creation of multi-cultural unity” on campus. Again it is a huge irony that while they complain about “rhetoric” they propose something which is so abstract, vague and immeasurable it would be impossible to monitor implementation or to set real targets for transformation.
But probably the most disturbing part of the memo is the students’
demand that management act “firmly” against the media in terms of “unfair reporting” in order to protect students’ “integrity”. In a disturbing echo of management’s intolerance of freedom of expression, the rightwing studentsseem not to grasp the most basic principles of media freedom. Their demand is a thinly veiled attempt to shoot the messenger instead of accepting responsibility for their actions.
In fact, this demand borders on a childish tantrum to fight for their right to keep doing exactly what they want and not to be criticized when their actions lead to public embarrassment. They also seem oblivious of the damage management has done over the past few years when they silenced and removed progressive voices at the NWU. In this regard the Wessels report made disturbing findings about the culture of “fear and victimisation” that exists on the Potchefstroom campus.
The memorandum is a sad indictment of the level of indoctrination at NWU Potchefstroom. It is almost unthinkable that rightwing students would show their ignorance, insensitivity and prejudice so openly. Given the mountain of evidence to the contrary, their claim of support for constitutional values such as equality, freedom and human rights sounds empty. It is very clear that this strange document did not really originate from a student body with valid concerns. It is more likely the carefully constructed product of stakeholders who are using rightwing students to make a public statement that will strengthen conservative interests. There can be no doubt that the NWU will use their influence on rightwing students to mobilize huge numbers for Thursday’s march.
It is well-known fact that rightwing forces such as Solidariteit, AWB and Afriforum play an active part on the Potchefstroom campus and there can be no doubt that they are in collusion with management to preserve an Afrikaner power base on the Potchefstroom campus of the NWU.
In this regard we hold Prof Herman van Schalkwyk amongst others, personally and collectively responsible for his unfortunate public agitations and mobilisation of Afrikaner students and communities, not only against transformation in general but against the findings of the report. Prof. Herman van Schalkwyk must accept responsibility should violence break out due to such agitations.
Hopefully the Minister of Higher Education will see the larger picture before he makes a final decision about addressing the transformation crisis at NWU.
Statement supplied by Hendrick Makaneta
Director: Alumni Support & Media Relations
On the surface the memorandum seems to be an effort by rightwing students to stand up for themselves, but for anybody who knows NWU Potchefstroom dynamics, it is clear that the initiative is driven by NWU management who have their backs against the wall after the Wessels Task Team report came to light. The Wessels report is never mentioned in the memorandum, but there can be little doubt that the current student mobilization is a desperate effort to buffer any possible negative outcome of the damning findings.
The memorandum creates the impression that there has been a breakdown of communication between the student body and campus management and they demand the establishment of “forum” where rightwing students can voice their concerns about “misperceptions”. The truth is, however, that the SRC and management on the NWU Potchefstroom campus are extremely close.
So close in fact that the SRC member for media and communication is employed by the notorious marketing department known as BEK.
The rightwing students claim they have been accused of “discrimination”, “being in favour of initiation” and an “inability to change”. They do not specify who made these claims or when it was made. They do however make reference to “one-sided” reporting that was published in Beeld. It is clear the rightwing students feel they have been portrayed in an unfair light, but they do not provide any evidence to show that they did not contribute directly to the negative publicity. They also fail to mention that the NWU did lay charges against Beeld at the Press Ombudsman, but later decided to withdraw it.
Fact is, it would be impossible for rightwing students or management to claim innocence, because thousands of students in residences on the Potchefstroom campus have actively taken part in various offensive and problematic rituals over the past years. The Wessels report confirms that there was by no means just one incident where students made the Nazi salute – it has been a long-standing tradition in many student residences.
After Beeld’s coverage of the Nazi salute, hundreds of students and former students at NWU Potchefstroom admitted on social media that they have made the Nazi salute (accompanied by the “Heil PUK!” cry) and the majority were unapologetic about it. It is absurd to accuse one newspaper of biased reporting as the issue of offensive traditions has been brought to the attention of management at the NWU Potchefstroom campus often by several concerned staff members. The Wessels report deals extensively with how management had failed to act when complaints were initially made about the Nazi salute.
It is obvious that the students’ demand that Potchefstroom remains an Afrikaans campus is made without awareness of how a predominant Afrikaans culture has served to exclude students from other races and cultures on the Potchefstroom campus. The memorandum is silent about the shocking reality that a country where only 40% of the Afrikaans speakers are white would allow a state sponsored Afrikaans university to provide education on a campus that remains almost exclusively white.
The rightwing students accuse management of making statements without first obtaining the “facts and information” from students themselves.
Ironically, exactly the opposite is true – the management of the NWU Potchefstroom has time and again tried to dismiss criticism of problematic cultural practices by citing statistics of how many students are perfectly satisfied with existing res culture.
The rightwing students say they are against “numbers transformation”
which they deem “political rhetoric” and in turn demand a “change of thinking, the removal of misperceptions and the creation of multi-cultural unity” on campus. Again it is a huge irony that while they complain about “rhetoric” they propose something which is so abstract, vague and immeasurable it would be impossible to monitor implementation or to set real targets for transformation.
But probably the most disturbing part of the memo is the students’
demand that management act “firmly” against the media in terms of “unfair reporting” in order to protect students’ “integrity”. In a disturbing echo of management’s intolerance of freedom of expression, the rightwing studentsseem not to grasp the most basic principles of media freedom. Their demand is a thinly veiled attempt to shoot the messenger instead of accepting responsibility for their actions.
In fact, this demand borders on a childish tantrum to fight for their right to keep doing exactly what they want and not to be criticized when their actions lead to public embarrassment. They also seem oblivious of the damage management has done over the past few years when they silenced and removed progressive voices at the NWU. In this regard the Wessels report made disturbing findings about the culture of “fear and victimisation” that exists on the Potchefstroom campus.
The memorandum is a sad indictment of the level of indoctrination at NWU Potchefstroom. It is almost unthinkable that rightwing students would show their ignorance, insensitivity and prejudice so openly. Given the mountain of evidence to the contrary, their claim of support for constitutional values such as equality, freedom and human rights sounds empty. It is very clear that this strange document did not really originate from a student body with valid concerns. It is more likely the carefully constructed product of stakeholders who are using rightwing students to make a public statement that will strengthen conservative interests. There can be no doubt that the NWU will use their influence on rightwing students to mobilize huge numbers for Thursday’s march.
It is well-known fact that rightwing forces such as Solidariteit, AWB and Afriforum play an active part on the Potchefstroom campus and there can be no doubt that they are in collusion with management to preserve an Afrikaner power base on the Potchefstroom campus of the NWU.
In this regard we hold Prof Herman van Schalkwyk amongst others, personally and collectively responsible for his unfortunate public agitations and mobilisation of Afrikaner students and communities, not only against transformation in general but against the findings of the report. Prof. Herman van Schalkwyk must accept responsibility should violence break out due to such agitations.
Hopefully the Minister of Higher Education will see the larger picture before he makes a final decision about addressing the transformation crisis at NWU.
Statement supplied by Hendrick Makaneta
Director: Alumni Support & Media Relations
