Wits has a chance to do it right!
We do not need another University of the Free State (UFS) Reitz saga ROUND TWO.
Workers in outsourced companies recently issued a petition to Wits University about a senior manager who refers to them with the K-word, threatens to cut their genitals, fires them as he sees fit, and restricts them. For example, workers are forced to use separate toilet and catering facilities and are barred from using the general university facilities. They are prohibited from collectively gathering at the university space – their place of work. These are people who clean our offices and lecture theatres, labs and toilets. They do our gardens, fix our electricity and water/sewerage pipes. They are predominantly black and African… sounds familiar?
These are echoes of apartheid separatism, colonial humiliation and slavery techniques of control, right at the centre of learning and teaching. The supposed haven of freedom of speech and knowledge production reveals its flip side as one of oppression of others.
The senior manager oppresses workers in the University’s name. Will Wits see the light? Or will they emulate University of the Free State Vice-Chancellor Jonathan Jansen and ask us to love without justice. I hope and will fight that they do not, but yet again, blacks are on their own, and till they learn to say I am black without fear and anger, we are doomed. For only a strong black response to strong white racism works. This is what workers at Wits have done. They came out and are prepared to fight.
When it happened at UFS, it was thought to be an isolated incident, but many of us at higher education institutions could immediately attest that the incident is actually the lived experience of many blacks. The amusement those white boys were creating through filming and distributing footage on Facebook is shared by many in their communities. Hence they did it.
But Jansen not only pardoned their horrendous acts, he described them as results of ‘miseducation’, in that they were not even aware that they were doing wrong, hence justifying the “necessity” of reconciliation. His version of political reconciliation immediately forced into the interpersonal without responsibility on the part of the perpetrator. The soft solution results into a situation where racism is tolerated as “we must forgive them because they do not know what they are doing”.
But this is false, for even those who crucified Christ knew it, owned it, and continued to do it to his followers long after he died. But then again Christ is not interested in reconciling with those who reject him, as he plans to throw them to hell and create a New Jerusalem without sinners who like to crucify him. Thus, our situation needs us to look to Cain who, even if he did not know what killing is, after murdering his brother he is met with a harsh sentence, because he must still learn that every action has a consequence.
Pushing for love without justice is simply evil. Accusing people who seek justice as being trapped in victimhood is simply barren thought and sinks us all into perpetual servitude. Whites must know that hatred of blacks is hatred and fear of themselves, a destruction of their own being. Thus, after centuries of racism they must take the cross to the mountain, sacrifice the self they carry in exchange for a new one, one that is healthy and does not build its meaning by negatively defining itself – I am not black!
Redemption is needed by all. Blacks cannot save whites, simply because they too do not have a healthy ‘self’. Beyond political forgiveness, we cannot give anything. Thus, without unearthing bondage from the relations we have with our destructed beings, forcing reconciliation will only yield perpetual compliance in our own servitude.
In that case, only a strong black response can save the day. Thus, interpersonal-racial exchange will need black consciousness because there is still strong white racism and domination. And as Biko said, a strong black response is the way. As blacks we must look into one simple formulation:
“By simply describing yourself as black you have started on a journey towards emancipation, you have committed yourself to fight against all forces that seek to use your blackness as a stamp that marks you as a subservient being”.
To the transformation office and the Vice-Chancellor at Wits, blacks cannot forgive and reconcile anymore because it is unintelligible and does not work. Enough with the usage of our blackness as a stamp that marks us out as subservient beings. Be ye not compliant in the perpetual destruction of the black being – whoever is racist amongst us must be punished!
Let us honour the bravery of vulnerable workers who have taken a stand against racism by strongly and decisively responding in ways that teach Cain never to stone others to death. Grant them the demands which the Student Representative Council put forward: Wits must release a statement expressing the universities’ strong rejection of racism and commitment to decisively deal with the case of these vulnerable workers; Initiate a speedy and independent investigation in the matter involving the senior manager; Immediately suspend the senior manager till the independent investigation is concluded. Based on the outcome of the above, fire him.
Mbuyiseni Ndlozi is a PhD candidate in Sociology at the University of the Witwatersrand. He can be contacted via [email protected]
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Ayitey Ayayee
It is indeed a sad day to learn such atrocities being committed in an institution considered to be at the forefront of learning. I do share many of the expressions put forward save one. It admits not to the existence of black hatred and indeed racism. I believe Jansen approach in the UFS case was an appropriate response. The young men involved must be allowed to regain a semblance of a normal lifestyle. The workers for their part also acted in folly. Black society advocates a healthy respect for elders whcih is earned by the elderly knowing their role as moral guardians, a duty that should not change whether poor or not, and would most certainly not encourage binge drinking. After all save the piss this is what it was. One cannot be forced to love or acknowledge the humaness of another, history shows that man will always find means to be divisive. But as long as the majority of peace loving people be they black or white voice their indignation against such actions there is still hope for our country. But such indignation must be voiced against all persons and all acts of prejudice in equal measure. The politicians must be taxed as harshly as the UFS boys if their utterances advocate hatred on such a basis. Life is precious in seeking to achieve the strong response to racism as advocated by BIKO, lets not in haste make a few bear the brunt of our anger and hurt that resulted from past injustices. Theirs are also lives, they will make mistakes which as a society we must speak against, but after such sanction we must re-admit them within our folds as they are still part of us, their deficiences mirror our collective inadequacies as a people. A deficiency we must steadfastly work to root out in all sectors.
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Mbuyiseni Ndlozi
Ayite, I must thank you for engaging my article and writing back.
Am afraid you may be missing the point made in my piece though. Not to mention that you also do not situate it within a historic evolution that it has rooted itself in – that is of a social status of the black subject.
First, you are incorrect that I do not give admittance to hatred and racism on the part of black people… As it were am discussing a situation of black workers at Wits. And in an instance where I had to express myself to black people’s prejudices, I believe I would fully do it. This may be an unfair expectation on your part.
Be that as it may, I say in the article “Redemption is needed by all. Blacks cannot save whites, simply because they too do not have a healthy ‘self’. Beyond political forgiveness, we cannot give anything. Thus, without unearthing bondage from the relations we have with our destructed beings, forcing reconciliation will only yield perpetual compliance in our own servitude”.
This suggest an even deeper reading of the black subject, in the way Biko did. That this subject is destructed in its relation with an oppressor, thus its ‘self’ needs rebirth!
The article makes an important observation and that is political reconciliation will never result in reintegration expected by Jansen. What he must realise is that he has institutional responsibility and power, but not social influence to the workers and white students involved. He did not even know them before… he has no idea as it were of their relations.
I say the political principle is always abstract… but if we are to achieve a meaningful reconciliation, whites need to respect blacks. But then blacks need to earn it, and thus I challenge us to consider the Wits workers situation as one where blacks have said no… one where a black subject provides a proper response to strong white racism, i.e. a strong black response.
This is my simple point Ayite. I would deliberate on the corruption politicians, both black and white, in this country engage in, but this is not the point. And it is am afraid not relevant to my article at this stage.
I thank you once more
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omega
Brilliant article. Genuinely enjoyed reading it. Nice touch on the religious imagery. Real funny. And on the topic at hand I fully agree, “blacks are on their own, and till they learn to say I am black without fear and anger, we are doomed”. Talks of reconciliation and intergration are all good and nice theoratically but when their practicality involves merely the ‘sucking up to white people of blacks’then clearly a revision is required. What is prevalent in these scenarios (both the UFS and the wits one) is an sad echo of the previous apartheid tendency of not only the disrespect and dehumanisation of black people by whites but further and even worse the self negation on the part of blacks in tolerating and even (as Jansen did) excusing such abusive racism. This suggests that black people not only still see themselves as inferior but also secretly wish to be the superior white still, for we all bow down and serve who we’d like to be the most. These are psychological scars which clearly cannot be healed by ‘political forgiveness’. An as agressive united responce from blacks is neccesary, actively accepting, loving and expressing their blackness and saying they will not tolerate such disrespect and racism. So big ups to the wits stuff for taking a stand finally. This is the only way the country has any chance of moving forward.
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