University Of The Free State Campus chaos: Some solutions
Protesters who had demanded an end to the outsourced employment of cleaners at the institution, disrupted the rugby game between the University Of The Free State and Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.
When they made their way towards the halfway line in the 17th minute, conflict raised among the protesters and the spectators which resulted in several protesters being physically beaten.
The University Of The Free State made the decision to suspend classes for a week, and launch an urgent investigation following the brawl between the Outsourcing Must Fall protesters and spectators at the Varsity Cup rugby game that day.
The events that followed this tragic incident on our campus left a bad taste in most of our students' mouths. Nothing felt the same again because during the incidents that were taking place, students began to express their true feelings about the racial issues that have been haunting UFS. Many masks came off unapologetically, exposing problems that were deliberately unspoken of in the heart of maintaining good peace.
With time, the anger and uncertainty amongst us as students has seemed to calm down, however the cracks on the mirror are more visible now than they have ever been before. With the whole country and possibly the rest of the world watching the university and scrutinizing the situation, one of the questions we are currently faced with is "For how much longer will we be able to pretend that things are back to normal, and that underlying issues have been overcome?"
I truly believe that silence will only making things worse. For as long as action is not taken against racist acts and intents that people project onto one another, the consequences there-of will continue not to be taken seriously which will result in further cross-cultural, racial, and ethnic turmoil.
People need to come to terms with the fact that South Africa is no longer what it was in the past, and that no person of a specific race shall be considered more superior than the other.
"Bigotry Should never be allowed to go without impediment or protest. Silence will never be an effective tool against oppression or racism, ever." - Shaun King
Such matters need to be considered ones of urgency and dealt with effectively by the government and any other bodies who are in authority and have the power to bring justice to the perpetrators, immediately, in order to prevent any future relapses.
