29 September 2014
The South African Communist Party in the North West welcomes the independent investigative report on Nazi, racist activities at the North West University (NWU), Potchefstroom Campus, which was established as a whites only, Afrikaner institute of apartheid type at the exclusion and marginalisation of other languages and cultures under the guise of a "Christian institution". There have been attempts to block transparency by stopping the report from being made public, among others by racist groupings, such as the Afri-Forum which appears to have influence over the directions taken by the university`s Council. We congratulate the leadership of the Minister of Higher Education Dr Bonginkosi Nzimande for unwavering stance against racism and discrimination.
The report has finally confirmed the truth that the Potchefstroom Campus harbours the racist legacy of apartheid. It is for this reason that those who still hold on to apartheid would do all in their power to protect reports of racism from being exposed to the public. It is in this institution where there is a plan for black never to become more than 30% of the full-time student population and key and strategic positions among the academic staff are held by whites.
It is the very NWU`s Campus that unashamedly publishes its curriculum and states that some of the courses are offered in Afrikaans ONLY - this fortified as a barrier to keep non-Afrikaans speaking students out or in some cases do translations that only given the Afrikaans speaking students an upper hand. The country is expected to keep quite under the guise of reconciliation. It is unfortunate that the SACP in the NW Province will not stand and watch. We shall tell the truth and nothing but the truth.
The silence by the DA in this regard is defending although expected. This is the time for Musi Maimane to rise to the occasion and make the same noise as Nkandla. We challenge him in particular and see if he will be kept in parliament.
We call on the office of the public protector to volunteer its services and investigate the state of transformation at the Potchefstroom Campus of NWU and make recommendations to parliament to consider in the same vigour as it pursues other matters. To us this is more important to the nation.
The SACP in the province will engage with Alliance partners to develop a protracted program towards the transformation of this university with focus on the Potchefstroom Campus which has found shelter under the banner of NWU to maintain apartheid status quo. Our starting point will be to canvass the name change of the university to be John Beaver Marks University.
We will further engage with the department of Higher Education and Training to look into the use of language exclusivity to practice discrimination on access for all others and job reservation for Afrikaans speakers in the institution as a racist practice which we believe it is, and must be addressed.
We also call on the HET Minister to amend and adopt new regulations on the constitution and composition of the university councils. The council of the NWU composition leaves much to be desired and itself needs to be transformed in line with South Africa national and North West regional demographics.
This should be an open public process based on moral integrity rather than a cow boys` clan that is based on the scars that one can display in defence of apartheid as is currently the case.
Finally we call on the Professor Van Schalkwyk to be removed from campus with immediate effect since he has proven to be leading in the entrenchment of the undesired practices at the Potchefstroom Campus. The use of Afrikaans as an exclusive language should be stopped immediately.
We call on members of the university community and organisations to fight racism and expose it wherever it rears its poisonous head and report it to relevant institutions whether overt or not.
Issued by SACP NW Province
Pat Motubatse - 1st Deputy Secretary
Mobile - 0782655104