The gloss of Professor Jonathan Jansen’s inauguration as vice-chancellor of the University of the Free State has been taken off by the resounding criticism of his decision to drop charges against the “Reitz Residence” students.
Four students were suspended when a 2007 video came to light where they were humiliating five staff at their residence. They claimed that they were making a statement against integration at the university and the residences.
Professor Jonathan Jansen is well-known as someone with strong views and the determination to express them stridently. This served him well during his time as dean of education at the University of Pretoria.
His desire to draw a line under the incident and move on to substantive transformation at the university is understandable, but has not been widely supported.
There were initial concerns expressed about the decision but the furore has not died down. Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande called for the decision to be suspended — a call which has now been supported by all his Cabinet colleagues.
Unions have been more vocal in their attacks. Nursing union Denosa has questioned Jansen’s ability to run the university, and Cosatu in the Free State have called for his removal from the position.
Former Archbishop Desmond Tutu is the only notable figure to come out in support of Jansen’s call for reconciliation rather than continuing with the charges.
Professor Jansen seems to have taken all the major roleplayers off guard when he made the announcement. He said at the time that he had consulted with all the stakeholders, but that has been denied by the unions and workers involved.
It seems a very basic mistake to have mad by Jansen. It looks like he felt the decision was his alone to make. He spoke to relevant roleplayers and gauged their opinions but made the decision himself. With such a sensitive matter it would probably have been better to tell the interested parties personally before he made the public announcement.
The absence of an apology from the four young men who humiliated the cleaners at the residence is a clear omission. How do we expect the victims to behave if they meet the students on campus?
However the criminal case and Equality Court hearings against the four students will continue. Maybe the case is better served in a court of law rather than a university hearing.
Professor Jansen has also not expressed clearly enough that the young men have already been punished to some degree. All had to interrupt their studies and the residence has been closed. So they aren’t going away without any consequences for their action, even though many would argue that the consequences were not severe enough.
Jansen was correct when he said the decision would split opinions in two. Knowing in advance that it would be so controversial it would have been better for the respected academic to handle the announcement in a more polished way. Having the cleaning staff now claim that they were lied to is not a good start for Jansen.
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Professor Jonathan Jansen is out of order: He needs to be recalled.
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How do we decide to talk reconcilation when there is no apology? Reconcilation involves both parties from the reports it dont look like all parties concerned where consulted, thats what i have a problem with.
Although I do not agree with the way the decision was handled, I think he had some good intensions. The biggest problem is that important individuals in the form of the cleaners have been ignored by all.
Even members of his executive have gone on the defensive, as if the victims do not matter.
I think that Prof Jansen had very noble intentions when he made his decision suffice to say that in this country black people are the ones who have to bent over backwards for the sake of reconciliation but we are still sitting with nothing. I completely agree with the content of your piece.
33. Just administrative action (1) Everyone has the right to administrative action that is lawful, reasonable and procedurally fair. (2) Everyone whose rights have been adversely affected by administrative action has the right to be given written reasons. —- CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA, 1996
10. Human dignity is listed as number 2 in the Non-Derogable Rights(after Equality followed by life, freedom & security etc) And it is marked and accepted as entirely non-derogable.
However the Reitz issue proves that this is derogable when it comes to ‘lower-class-’black’-domestic-workers’ – The question is can a ‘domestic worker’ expect any dignified treatment after Prof. Jensen’s ‘precedence’ – Me as a child of a domestic worker, I take serious offence. And the use of ‘reconciliation’ is nonsensical-Did Prof. ask the perpetrators if they see the wrong. Did he bring them together with their victims to confess their sins and ask for forgiveness?
No he don’t need to do that, he is ‘THE PROFESSOR’ thy are ‘THE CLEANERS’ he can not waste empathy on them.
I frequently have the opportunity to talk to a variety of students at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in George and yesterday asked a group of sudents what they thought of Prof Jansen’s decision.They were not in complete agreement with the good Professors decision to pardon the students and thought that a 5-year ban would have been more appropriate. They were, however, very supportive of Prof Jansen’s vision for the university. What really impressed me was their factual and unemotional response and their belief that this is a country for all who live in it.
Why is this a national issue being meddled with by cabinet? It is an internal issue at a university and should be handled as such. South Africans are now so sensitive about race that we erupt at the smallest thing to do with it. The ANC is using the issue for massive political capital and emotional propaganda. Its pathetic and silly and counter-conciliatory. It actually has very little to do with race and probably much more to do with class anyway.
I don’t care what colour the guy is, if he tries to make me eat urine-soaked food, I say no. He would physically have to make me and I would lay assault charges immediately. Then the courts can decide. And don’t bullshit me that workers in this country don’t know and flaunt their rights.
Why do we want to lynch these kids for that is what they are. They need to be disciplined which they have been and they need to realise that kind of behaviour is out of bounds, REGARDLESS of colour! We are sending the message that making a person eat urine-soaked food is ok if they are the same colour as you but a national crisis if they are not. Huh? Division anyone?
Cabinet and everyone else should sort out the glaring racial issues at much higher levels and leave the kids to be spanked by their teachers. There are grusome murders receiving way less press than this.
Warped and pathetic.
What was the Prof smoking? He must have been sitting in his university sponsored residence (with a maid or two) after been driven in a top of the range German sedan, also sponsored by the University.
In his gratefulness to the benevolent UFS Senate, as the 1st Black and probably non-Broederbond leader of the UC, he must have thought long and hard, and probably consulted with wise senate who sort of suggested that he forgive the ‘God-fearing, good natured Afrikaans seuns’ who have been punished for doing what they also did in their student days and still continue to do in their farms, houses and old age homes!
What were you smoking Prof? You did not consult with the suvivors of this humilation! The people who still live under serfdom (which is the worse form of slavery), who still are still forced to address white people as “Baas”, “Missus”,
“Kleinbaas”. Who are still suffering under the “dop” system.
What were you thinking Prof? They sleep in shacks or by the side of the road after being illegally evicted from their homes which they and they grandparents were born in!
What is wrong with you Prof? They carry coloured babies after being raped by the “Baas” on their backs. They suckled the same four boys on the breast milk produced for their own offspring who were being raised by their grandparents whilst they were busy raising the “Reitz Four”.
Prof! haai man, haai!
Why apologise for pulling a student prank? Jansen did the right thing. Now move on. It’s done. Two of the four merry pranksters have already graduated and left, so they are untouchable anyway. And the other two didn’t riot and trash the campus or misbehave or disrupt the work being done on campus. Those hooligans never apologise either.
What an utter waste of time. This minor matter has driven up racial tensions to a height never before experienced in the country. If all the physical and not so very bright intellectual energy had been spent on more pressing issues like the pending theft of R300 billion by Escom, another R20 billion being gobbled up by the Airbus scam, the collapse of half the country’s municipalities, the non existent education, health and justice system, wouldn’t we have been better off?
It is clear that the ANC and their little lapdogs have yet again succeeded in distracting the very short attention span of an unthinking and uneducated constituency from the real issues. The Reitz 4 will be long forgotten when the masses will still be voting for a paternal clique who will promise a better life for all every five years and steal them blind for the next five years. Happy toyi toying untill Jesus returns!
Folks,just for one moment lets say one of cleaners happens too be your mother how would you feel that mom has been treated in this manner ….me ,you four little buggers are going to be force fed with shit,my guts turns when i think if this was my mother…..
Hmmmm interesting…. Meanwhile behind the scenes….
Let me see, on Monday, in a seperate crimen injuria case filed by Patricia de Lille, in Capetown, the defendant in such case, filed a complaint with the SA Human Rights Commission Against De Lille, fellow secondary Plaintiffs, and the NPA-WC, for acts of political persecution, and for among others, breaching their
Promotion of National Unity & Reconciliation Act 34, 1995, social contract duties & responsibilities (PDF); and in a supporting Affidavit, from Brad Blanton, Ph.D., the author of Radical Honesty (www.radicalhonesty.com); accusing the South African goverment of faking reconciliation….
Then all of a sudden, on Friday, Mr. Jansen (and subsequent thereto, Mr. Tutu) has a fit of more fake reconciliation…
Hmmmm, how much fake reconciliation do you dispense, before you realise that it is, exactly that fake reconciliation; that is providing the subconscious and conscious fodder for everything from the motivations of those who commit farm murders and torture.. to the actions of those four Reitz Students…
But of course, we only want to pretend, that we are interested in the ’causes’ of these incidents; we have no serious intention of being serious about our concern for causes, do we?
Proudly South African Hypocrisy on Steroids indeed…
All that all these comments prove is that we are all racist! We can’t be anything else, thats how most of us were raised. A hugh issue is being made about 4 idiots and a Prof that understands that the real work must start. Jansen is attempting, like the great Madiba, to achieve non-racialism. Take away the Idiots futures and they will hate the black man for life. Show mercy and they will respect the black man for the rest of their lives. When will the new ANC, COSATU and all other self-justified commentators take a leaf out of the great Madiba book and realize that true power lies in humility and compassion.
@ Blip – Reducing such a serious issue to nothing more than a student prank only indicates your lack of capacity to properly comprehend the broader issue at hand. How’s about we force you to ingest urine infested food, then let’s see if you like it.
And make no mistake, this is not over…not by a long shot!!
One 100% support for Prof Jansen as long as the four “students” apologise to the staff concerned. As an atheist I think a certain Jewish fellow called Jesus said forgive 70 times 70 ! Come on the whole university has more important things to do. In Botswana the four students would be given four lashes each on “bare buttocks”…what a jolly good idea!
Derek James
Siphiwo, professors aren’t deployed, hence they can’t be recalled. Universities are democratic places of learning and professors EARN their appointments.Viva professor Jansen Viva!!!!!
Oh well – The time for reconciliation has came (during the Mandela-era) and left (during the Mbeki-era).
I personally feel that not only did these young men embarrass themselves, but they have also made life more difficult for other white people. Most whites would never want to cause racial offence – lest there be a Malema (or a Sibusiso Khumalo) around you paint you as a “dirty low down whitey counter-revolutionary racist “.
If it means that I wouldn’t read or hear the ANC moaning about this issue all day in newspapers, TV and on the radio it seems that the academic careers of these youths seems a small price to pay. Frankly I don’t care what happen with idiots like them and others like the Skielik-murderer, the Waterkloof four, Mark Scott-Crossley and the Boeremag ect. ect… I don’t sympathise with them, nor do I support them… they just provide propaganda material to the “white is bad” factions.
Three interesting question though:
1) Surely the ANC’s justice system should have delt with the criminal charges involved a long time ago, and then justice would have been done a long time ago.
2) Cleaners should just clean. Why did they get involved with other things outside their job discription? If they stuck to what they were supposed to be doing, they would not have been victims…
3) As adults, why did the cleaners involve themselves with something like this, were they forced? No sympathy otherwise.
I had a look at the video again. The aunties were having a jol! Singing, dancing and drinking alcohol in official worktime. Surely that is a case for instant dismissal. Sello mentioned they were forced to eat whatever was given to them. They participated in this knowing that they do not have to. I think they should remove the word gullible from their dictionaries, because that is what they are. I read somewhere else that they are still traumatised by the whole story. Underneath someone wrote that it is most probably the longest hangover ever. Very true. I still maintain that they were willing participants. No one was forced to be part.
A lot (not all) of white people seem not to be able to comprehend what transpired. Maybe it is becuase it happened to black people. Don’t worry we are used to it, hence the uproar.
We live in this country (democracy) today because the black man forgave the white man. Why and how many times must we (blacks) bend over backwards.
White people (the majority, not all) continue to think that we blacks are corrupt/stupid/sinners/child bearers and until you stop that way of thinking, this country is going nowhere indeed.
I am not speaking from a weak victimhood stand point here people, but I am angry at whites!!!
Some contributor has suggested that the case is one that primarily is class violence then secondarily racial and invoked the notion by noted marxist and pan africanist C R James’ notion of the primacy of the class question to the race question.
Professor Jansen has looked at the young men and found them relatively innocent compared to the institution in what he has eloquently termed institutional complicity. He has accepted vicarious liability for what happened not only the crimen injuria but for the strange interaction between the victims and pepetrators. It is one reason why the mere scape goating by prosecution of a few members of the apartheid support structure failed to properly indict, prosecute and convict apartheid. For all the blame that can be heaped on Magnus Malan and P W Botha they really were merely the products of a system and line of thinking.
Secondarily with all due respect for the victims, whose victimhood derived from their social class less than their race, there has to be a remedy other than cross examination in a court of law. To deny their own naive culpability for what happened to them is to err. Suppose there had been no possibility of urine being raised what would have happened to them. Doubtless they would have continued with their activities hence this unfortunate event has “emancipated” them. I believe they were victims before they were victims not of only one prejudice but of many social cultures. Credit to the Prof for seeing more.
I would commend to all blog readers the full text of Prof Jansen’s address on the internet. From this it becomes abuntantly clear that the lather that it again being stirred up in the predictable political circles is motivated less by the Reitz video issue than by the broader critical context of Jansen’s impressive, often humourous and incisive words. He cuts through the cr*p of numerous holy cows with a commendable and serene even-handedness. That the unions and “stakeholders” deny Jansen’s claim of having consulted them is hardly surprising. The former have every motivation to keep the pot boiling whilst the latter, seen to be astonishingly compliant with the wishes of the racist students in the video, will certainly do the bidding of the shop stewarts.
After all, is not the fact that 15 years into our liberation such attitudes of blind obedience and compliance are still so prevalent an indictment of the new dispensation, its grievous backlogs in education, the absence of a national campaign of intensive adult education ?
At least Jansen has identified his university’s failing in this regard, has apologised and charts a remedial course. A darn side more credible than his political bosses….
What the four did was unforgivable and cannot be condoned. It also differs only slightly from the sort of things that used to go on regularly at ‘white’ boarding schools, where hazed kids were advised to ‘get over it’.
I will never understand why not a single one of those workers did not walk out and seek higher authority. Why did they stay? Since when do students and workers automatically mix as chums?
We all know that some young people of all races have a total lack of forethought, no common decency and a bizarre sense of the ridiculous. Would the situation have been better had the students been black or the workers white?
When manners are so lacking, it matters not the colour of a skin and I guarantee that those chaps will be ‘marked’ for life, even if they move to Oranje.
While I empathise with the situation, violence is not always ‘white’ on ‘black’. If you can be the bigger person, walk away. And this is all Prof JJ has tried to do. His lack of judgement came in doing it on behalf of others. But wasn’t that the same fault of the TRC?
Beast,
“Being black is not a matter of pigmentation — being black is a reflection of a mental attitude.” Steve Biko, I Say What I Think, 1978
According to Steve: * those who had no pride in their racial culture, or the aspects of their culture that were worthy of pride; * those who considered themselves ‘non-black’ were the ignorant masses, the ones who would sacrifice their identity, their being, their racial pride; because they were so psychologically insecure, that they would rather be approved of, by commiting racial suicide… they were the ‘non-blacks’, or as you refer to them..
Heaven is when we all become ‘non-white’ and ‘non-black’ and pretend we are ‘non-racialists’.
According to Nelson Mandela, Steve Biko was not worthy of one mention in your great leaders autobiography!
The one black man who confronted his fellow african blacks to stand up, morally and culturally, to behave, not like savages, but like human beings, to refrain from breeding like savages on viagra… to aspire to a black consciousness and a culture of worthyness, not because non-racialists will pretend to respect it, but because it has earned itself as worthy…
the man who plays three monkeys to the despicable acts of cultural hypocrisy by blacks, you consider a black leader! The Judas Iscariot, who sold Biko, for 30 pieces of silver…
you are welcome to your hypocrit non-racial society. thanks, but no thanks.
if it had not been videoed and distributed, noone would have been the wiser. The Tannies would have had a jol and a bottle of whisky. the students had been given marks for their film and Jansen could go on managing a University into the new (how new after 15 years??) SA.
@lionel byrne: “Folks,just for one moment lets say one of cleaners happens too be your mother how would you feel that mom has been treated in this manner”
would depend on how my mother feels about it. If she comes home, half pissed, laughing and telling what happened…? I say: not clever but good you enjoyed it.
If she comes home, all upset, I would say: “why the f&^%% did you go on with it?.” and indeed make a case but there and then not 30 months later.
Now the whole pack of opportunistic politicians is after some glory while the country goes up in flames which they cannot douse from their 5 million R houses and 1 million R cars.
and….the tannies, supported by come clever legal minds, will be told: “play victim, convincingly, you get more money that way.”
and if it was my mother,I would say: “go for it” but don’t be so stupid ever again.
You have embarrassed a good man in the process. Hope you apologise one day.
Its evident from the comments that many apartheid apologists do not understand the seriousness of this despicable “prank”.
Arguing that the workers had the freedom not to participate or that their wasn’t any urine in the drinks is insulting to everyones intelligence. These racist students are products of their community. These students were TAUGHT that others were lesser humans. The collective effect of centuries of white supremacy is still reverberating in our communities
It may be a worthwhile exercise for some of our commentators to view the Reitz video again (forever preserved on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8N-h8anSuE&feature=fvw ) and place their own parents and grandparents in that situation before dismissing it as a “harmless prank”.
Jansen blatantly panders to his white masters by granting leniency to the perpetrators instead of being compassionate to the victims!!!
As I commented in another M&G article, the perpetrators need to be punished to the full extent of the law in order to:
1. Send a clear message to other would be perpetrators that this despicable behavior will not be tolerated.
2. Demonstrate to the victims and the black community that justice has been served at last and not the urine they tasted.
Why is it so hard for Jansen to understand this? Its becoming clearer each passing day that people like Jansen only slowdown transformation at a huge cost to our society. Time to cut our losses and remove him from this leadership position.
There was NO urine in the prank. It was clean tap-water. People invent reasons to get bitter and twisted. And if my mother went along with a practical joke, it’s HER call, not mine. She’s a grown-up woman and must make her own decisions. But my old lady is probably too smart to be caught out like that. If she were caught out, however, she’d probably have the good humour and breadth of character to have a good old laugh at her folly. So would I. The sky hasn’t fallen.
Thank you Grant and Bravo for your insight and truth. I agree, this issue is recieving too much press, on the other hand it might be neccasary so we can see the typical reactions from all viewpoints. If only the government can spend as much time tackling crime and corruption as they do in attempt to rehabilitate whiteys, then oh my gosh we would actualy live in peace and harmony.
ANC Hypocrates!!
I agree that those boys should have apologized before the Prof even considered dropping those charges. Do they regret it? Will they do it again? Seriously though they need to apologize and the state can then organize schooling in a similar institution like Stellenbosch University.
It’s irrelevant that two of these silly racist boys have left. The two that are still there should have gone through the disciplinary process and should have at least apologised in person to the women concerned. I understand Professor Jansen’s aim with reconciliation etc. and I applaud him for that, but I’m not convinced this is the way to go about it.
However, lets support the man as he tries to turn this tainted institution around and move on from this.
Yoh this coountry needs help so many racists in the hood.
The recently inaugurated Rector and Vice Chancellor of the University of Free State, Prof Jothanan Jansen, has caused disturbing waves in the ears of many through his (the University’s) decision to withdraw charges against the Reitz four in the name of racial reconciliation and healing; this he said during his “specially prepared” inaugural speech. Okay I will shoot straight to the point, for I don’t want to waste your time trying to figure out what exactly am I on about.
The Prof, in this case, has made a BIG mistake and he must swallow his pride and reverse his decision. I am glad that Nzimande, Minister of High Education, used his blade to call the Prof to order. Hopefully it was sharp enough for the Prof to feel the pain. As one of the greatest fans of the Prof, I am deeply disappointed that a man of his quality has really come to that decision. A frank warning for the Prof is that the withdrawal of charges by UFS is the beginning of an error that will manifest itself in an uncontrollable nature in the future.
What the Reitz four did to find themselves under the unshaken spotlight is deplorable and in no way acceptable; even if the racial tables were to be turned, I would stick to my words that it’s despicable. The Reitz four have caused the mamas bottomless humiliation & actually stripped them off their dignity which, unfortunately Prof, can not be restored wth a price.
@Siphiwo Siphiwo
Your talk of transformation is superficial. Did you even bother to read Jonathon Jansen’s full speech? How many people have actually read it in its entirety?
Post this into your browser:
http://blogs.timeslive.co.za/hartley/2009/10/20/jonathan-jansens-inaugural-speech-as-vice-chancellor-of-ufs-full-text/
Asking for his recall is an assault on academic freedom.
hi ho hi ho its off to perth i go..la la la la laaa…..