Racist group: Student expelled

2008-11-24 16:01

Bloemfontein - A student linked to a racist Facebook group has been expelled from North West University (NWU), a spokesperson said on Monday.

Louis Jacobs said a disciplinary hearing found the student guilty of impairing the university's good name.

"The committee made a ruling that the student be expelled from the university, after which his legal representative lodged an appeal."

Seven students at the North West University faced disciplinary action over the racist group "ek laaik nie 'n houtkop nie, sou what", which surfaced on the Facebook social network website recently.

The group's members had posted racially abusive words and comments on the site. It also featured a photograph of a white man holding a gun while posing over the trophy of a young black boy lying on the ground.

Jacobs said the students, who were all registered at the Potchefstroom campus, were charged because their conduct was detrimental or could have been detrimental to the good name, order, discipline or performance of the university.

Six of them were found not guilty. Jacobs said the disciplinary committee could find no evidence which indicated that they actively associated themselves with the group.

Referring to the expulsion of the one student, Jacobs said the university had certain rights regarding its expectations of student conduct.

"The disciplinary committee has found that the conduct of this student was a transgression of these rights and that his actions were detrimental, or had the potential of being detrimental to the good name of the university," he said.

- SAPA