STATEMENT ON HOMOPHOBIC ATTACKS AT UWC

SRC Appalled by intolerance

The S.R.C writes this communiqué with great disdain and disbelief that the University of the Western Cape can be found as a playground for homophobic attacks (see report).  This is deep concern as this comes on the back drop of vicious homophonic attacks at gay pride just a couple of weeks ago in Johannesburg.  Our University has been the champion of the liberation struggle and part of the liberation struggle was to ensure that South Africans of all creed, religious domination and sexual orientation are entitled to equal citizenship.

A sacred principle that we all ought to protect as enshrined by our constitution is that of non sexism and protect the dignity of our fellow students (human beings). The S.R.C is appalled by the news that over the Weekend one of our resident community members was assaulted, whilst the securities watched. The reports also suggest that the student was assaulted because of their sexual orientation.

We are then compelled to ask are some humans being more deserving of protection than others?

We also read in some reports that the students were drunk and unruly, that does not explain the inaction by the security guard in question. If anything this statement condones drunken people being beaten or to be descriptive is tantamount to saying girls can get raped because they wear mini-skirts.

As the S.R.C we would like to call upon the University Management to ensure that a full investigation and appropriate action is taken. The University of The Western Capes S.R.C would like to call upon all students at the University to unite against homophobia, more importantly any lack of action against homophobia. It cannot be that in such an intellectual environment steeped in such history intolerance finds expression. It was on this very campus that the constitution was drafted, and, it must be on this very campus that the Constitution of our country is defended. The S.R.C holds the view that this Constitution is the vanguard for all in our country in particular any minority group.

 We also call upon the greater society and government agencies to act against police officers who laugh at the fact that another human being is assaulted.  

As a university we have to bear the intellectual torch for society, bashing up people for any reason, let alone their sexual orientation cannot be condoned. Let us bear the torch and show society how we deal with people who lack revere for the Constitution and Human Dignity.

We urge the University to take action and ensuring that the security guard in question is treated as an accomplice to the act, we hope that the perpetrators are found and taken to action for their acts of hate.

Statement issued by Chrispin Phiri, UWC SRC President and Mihlahli Mtoto, SRC Secretary General, October 31 2012

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