RAU racism claims rejected

2003-12-17 19:22

Johannesburg - The allegations of racism following an attack on a black student at the Rand Afrikaans University on August this year were based largely on fabrications, the university said on Wednesday.

The university appointed an independent team of inquiry, headed by advocate Bruce Berridge, to investigate the claims following a fight between a black and white student at Bastion men's residence.

The black student had complained that he was attacked by a white student and the security guards also attacked him when they were called in to help.

The rector of the university, Roux Botha, said according to the findings the complainant was not a Bastion resident and that he lived off-campus at the time of the incident.

The report also confirmed that the complainant was intoxicated on the night in question and that he gate-crashed a 21st birthday party in progress in an outside area of the residence.

Isolated incident

The report stated that even if this attack did occur, and even if it was racially motivated, that it was an isolated incident and most certainly did not indicate any general racist problems or concerns either within the particular residence or at the university.

Berridge rejected the complainant's allegations that he had been assaulted by the university's security guards and also stated that he did not believe that the security personnel displayed any form of racist behaviour towards him on the night in question.

Berridge said: "In fact, I formed the very strong view that the contrary was the case and I would go so far as to commend the security personnel for their conduct on the evening in what was undoubtedly an awkward situation."

The report also rejected the complainant's version that he was driven around in the back of the reaction unit bakkie for a period of about four to five hours.

"On the probabilities this, quite simply, could not have and did not occur."

Considering the medical report of the doctor who examined the complainant at the Helen Joseph Hospital, Berridge said categorically that the injuries described therein were inconsistent with the allegations of assault.

Racism not tolerated at RAU

Botha said: "Racism is not tolerated on RAU campus. Isolated incidents have occurred in the past and were, generally speaking, immediately and effectively dealt with."

"While I am relieved at the findings of the report I am concerned that the allegations of racism which flowed from this alleged incident may have stemmed from the dissatisfaction of an earlier and unresolved graffiti-racism incident at the same residence.

"This incident led to dissatisfaction amongst black students because the perpetrators could not be identified," Botha said.

- SAPA