Cape Town - A Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) student from the Wellington campus is undergoing a disciplinary hearing after she accidentally sent out voice notes on WhatsApp to her class group which had been meant for a private group chat.
In the voice note, sent on August 22, she refers to one of her classmates as a "k***** meit" (a highly derogatory term for a woman).
She was later alerted by a classmate that she had sent the voice note to the wrong group.
The racial slur offended a number of classmates, one of whom contacted the SA Students Congress (Sasco) to lodge a complaint.
Sasco contacted the Students Representative Council, which organised a march and mobilised students in the hopes of combating racism.
"We did not want to single the girl out so we planned a peaceful march with the whole campus to unite students and raise awareness against racism. We informed CPUT staff and judiciary of what had happened and why we were marching," said SRC member Athi Ndita.
SRC secretary Elsabe Westraat said they were aware of the incident and the matter had been handed over to formal structures.
"The SRC condemns any form of racism and we have movements where we try to combat racism."