Cape Town - A lecturer at Stellenbosch University (SU) has been suspended after a student at the university received an SMS containing text which read: “Jou swart moer van die wit boer.”
Student activist Sikhulekile Duma lodged a complaint against nuclear physics lecturer Dr Anton Stander after tracing the message.
Duma, a sociology student and member of transformation activist group Open Stellenbosch, received the SMS on April 25.
Translated to English it means: “You black bastard from the white farmer.”
Duma approached the university’s ombudsman on April 30, requesting that Stander be suspended. The university then investigated the complaint and on Monday announced Stander’s suspension.
SU’s chief director for strategic initiatives and human resources, Professor Tobie de Coning, said: “A lecturer at Stellenbosch University who allegedly made racist remarks via SMS towards a student has been temporarily relieved of his duties.
“The university views the matter in a very serious light as any such remarks or types of behaviour are unacceptable and not in line with the university’s values.
“The necessary steps in accordance with the university’s formal disciplinary procedures have been initiated and the matter will be handled decisively and fairly.”
He said a “committee of preliminary investigation” would conduct a probe..
“The university will act in accordance with the committee’s findings. This may include a hearing followed by appropriate sanction. It is premature to speculate on the possible outcomes of the investigation and resulting sanctions,” he said.
De Coning said Duma was notified of the lecturer’s suspension via e-mail on Monday, but the student denied this on Monday night. “They sent out a statement telling everyone that I had been notified, but that is a lie,” he said.
Duma told the Cape Times that he had also received a voice message. “The voice message was basically a threat because it said, ‘I am looking for a person who lives at…’ and then he mentioned my father’s address in the US. So he was letting me (know) that he knows where my father lives, and that he was looking for him,” Duma said.
He said he was “pretty shocked and taken aback” when he received the messages.
“It is evident that white supremacy not (only) exists among students, but with staff structures as well. This only gives me more fire and inspires me to keep going.
“These things need to be exposed and for our children’s sake we need to make sure that they never happen again.”
On Monday night, when the Cape Times tried to contact Stander, a man who answered the phone said: “Erm… Dr Stander… he… he’s not available.”
When pushed for clarity, he said: “Dr Stander is physically not available.”
Duma said: “I hope the investigation goes quickly. He should be fired and replaced with a black lecturer. “There is no space for such racists in society.”
Cape Times