AfriForum Youth slams Puk over exclusion of students at welcoming function

13 February 2023 

AfriForum Youth today sent a letter to Dr Sibusiso Chalufu, the Executive Director of Student Life at the North-West University (NWU), in which the youth organisation demands answers following the events of the past weekend on the Puk campus. City residences were excluded from the official welcoming event on Saturday allegedly due to a lack of diversity.

Among other things, AfriForum Youth is demanding answers about when the Puk made the decision that city residences’ first-years had to attend a virtual streaming of the welcoming event in separate venues and why the respective residences’ house committee members were only informed of it the night before at 23:30.

The youth organisation further demands that a reason must be provided as to why students from the city residences, who gathered around the amphitheater, were chased away by a member of management if the official reason for the exclusion is attributed to a capacity problem.

“We also want the university to extend an official apology to the students who were negatively impacted by this with a guarantee that the Puk will never again exclude students from official activities or functions because of their race,” says René van der Vyver, spokesperson for AfriForum Youth. “This type of exclusion is unacceptable and if we do not receive a prompt response from the Puk management we will take further action.”

Issued by René van der Vyver, Spokesperson, AfriForum Youth, 13 February 2023