Carlo Petersen
CONTROVERSY over a statue of Cecil John Rhodes at UCT reached boiling point yesterday when the university’s student representative council (SRC) staged a walkout during a discussion with members of the institution’s management.
The SRC has demanded the statue be removed.
UCT vice-chancellor Max Price told the Cape Times that talks about removing the statue from the university campus were at a “stalemate”.
The SRC has taken a hard-line stance, refusing to partake in any discussions on the matter and simply demanding that a date be set for the statue’s removal.
During a protest last week, student Chumani Maxwele flung human excrement on the statue, calling for the monument to be taken down.
Maxwele and his followers called for transformation of the university’s infrastructure, including the renaming of campus roads and buildings.
Following the protest, more than 2 000 students gathered at the university campus on Thursday, when many called for the statue to be removed.
The statue of Rhodes is on the upper campus, overlooking the university’s rugby fields on Madiba Circle, formerly known as Rugby Road.
The university’s upper and middle campuses are on land that was bequeathed to the nation by Rhodes as the site for a national university.
SRC chairman Ramabina Mahapa was seen leading the charge yesterday as SRC members and supporters walked out of a discussion on heritage, signage and symbolism.
The meeting was the first in a series of discussions which university management insists will take place throughout the year.
“We are not at a point where management wants to meet with us in a fruitful way. There are a number of things we are upset about,” Mahapa said.
“The charges brought against Chumani Maxwele for throwing poo on the statue need to be dropped.”
Mahapa detailed the SRC’s demands before he and other SRC members walked out of the meeting, which had been arranged earlier.
“This is something we’ve been speaking about since last year. They cannot say we we have not been engaging with them. The university has serious issues about transformation that it hasn’t dealt with,” he said.
“The statue is really a symbol. The issue is bigger than the statue.
“If one looks at the paintings on walls here, they depict the poverty of black people, the naked black body of black people and other aspects we don’t identify with as our history.
“Other things like black staff being marginalised and readdressing affirmative action and promotions. These are our issues,” said Mahapa.
“Once we are given a date for the removal of the statue, it will give a firm indication that management is ready to address these issues,” he said.
Mahapa said the SRC and its supporters would hold a march on Friday to protest over the lack of transformation at the university.
“The SRC wants the statue removed and they are not willing to discuss it. They are not willing to meet with us until we give them a date,” Price said.
The UCT management was “totally open” to discussion and open to proposals about the matter, he said.
“There are various stakeholders at play here, but we need to be inclusive.
“If the statue is one of the things that makes people feel isolated, then we need to address it, but we will continue our discussions with or without them,” Price said.
He denied that the university had laid charges against Maxwele, saying the charges were lodged by a private entity.
UCT spokeswoman Pat Lucas would not be drawn, while Maxwele could not be reached.