‘Tranformania tweet not view of Stellies’

The tweet that Stellenbosch University council member Piet le Roux posted caused an uproar on social media.

The tweet that Stellenbosch University council member Piet le Roux posted caused an uproar on social media.

Published Sep 9, 2015

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Cape Town - Stellenbosch University (SU) has distanced itself from council member Piet le Roux after his social media statement that “(Higher Education Minister) Blade Nzimande and transformania won’t win”.

The university’s vice-chancellor, Wim de Villiers, described Le Roux on Tuesday as “a lone dissenting voice within council”.

Based in Pretoria, Le Roux is the convener of the newly formed Afrikaanse Alumni-vereniging, head of the Solidarity Research Institute based in Pretoria and an associate at the Ludwig von Mises Institute South Africa, which, according to its website, is “dedicated to teaching and spreading the Austrian theory of economics and the philosophy of classical liberalism in South Africa”.

On Monday, Le Roux tweeted: “Blade Nzimande en #transformanie gaan nie wen nie. Ondersteun die Afrikaanse Alumni-vereniging (Blade Nzimande and transformania won’t win. Support the Afrikaanse Alumni Association).” The tweet sparked an uproar, with social media users slamming the tweet using the hashtag #PietLeRouxMustFall.

De Villiers responded to the uproar, saying: “If the tweet was meant to be an expression of his opposition to transformation at universities in general, it is definitely not aligned with the university council’s unequivocal support for transformation, and he should be seen as a lone dissenting voice within council.”

SU spokesperson Susan van der Merwe said individual opinions would not derail the commitment to transformation. “The executive committee of the university council confirmed support to management in the pursuance of its duties, and also endorsed management’s views as set out in the SU statement to the media on September 1, 2015.”

During a meeting with the portfolio committee on higher education and training last week, council deputy chairperson PW van der Walt insisted that the council supports transformation at SU.

Le Roux said: “Unfortunately, transformation as driven by the Department of Higher Education has taken a particularly destructive form under which it is rigidly insisted that every organisation in the country, universities included, should reflect the national racial demographics and, by extension, become an English institution.

“It does nothing for transformation in any positive sense… and extends the control of the state over civil society in much the same way the National Party government used to extend its control.”

Nzimande’s spokesperson, Khayelihle Nkwanyana, said: “It’s quite astounding that a council member would speak in that way. We recommend that the council discuss Le Roux’s continued membership at this critical moment in the transformation of the nation’s universities.”

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@carlo_petersen

Cape Times

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