UJ distances itself from Malema
2010-03-11 20:13
Johannesburg - The University of Johannesburg (UJ) on Thursday distanced itself from statements made by ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema at its Doornfontein campus.
"The university has refrained from commenting on Mr Malema's statements until now because we wanted to authenticate his comments," vice chancellor and principal Ihron Rensburg said.
"This has now been done and the university wishes to distance itself from Mr Malema's statements."
The institution supported the right to free speech and encouraged it on its campuses but "it neither condones nor encourages comments that are potentially inflammatory, provocative and defamatory".
Complaints
They had received complaints from staff, students, parents and members of the general public.
"The university is receptive to these concerns and the executive management would like to reassure the university's community and the public at large that UJ is determined to uphold... values which include integrity and respect for diversity and human dignity, and which run counter to any statements that provoke racial, gender or religious tensions."
Malema spoke at the campus at the invitation of the Students' Representative Council on Tuesday. He said DA leader Helen Zille was a Satanist and ID leader Patricia de Lille's husband should leave her and seek a beautiful wife in the ANC.
De Lille laughed off the comments, but Zille vowed to take the matter further.
Hate speech
He also sang "kill the boer", which has resulted in a number of organisations laying complaints of hate speech at the SA Human Rights Commission.
AfriForum and the Afrikanerbond believe the comments were insensitive in the context of the number of farmers who had been murdered recently.
The university, previously known as Rand Afrikaans University, once had a majority of Afrikaans-speaking white students.
Following a restructuring of higher education institutions, it was renamed the University of Johannesburg, and had campuses in Doornfontein and Soweto.
- SAPA