UCT SRC relieves ‘homophobic’ acting president from duties

A mere three months after Wits’ former SRC president caused a storm with his Hitler remarks, Zizipho Pae posted a status update on Facebook on Sunday that many interpreted as homophobic:

The post reads: “We are institutionalizing and normalizing sin. May God have mercy on us”.

The comments came shortly after the US Supreme Court legalised gay marriage in all states, leading UCT students to find the statement more than just coincidental.

Ramabina Mahapa‚ SRC president‚ said the SRC distanced itself from her comments and was launching an investigation.

On Facebook, the UCT SRC said: “Moreover, Ms Pae was immediately relieved from her duties as Acting President.”

Yesterday, Thato Pule, the chair of transformation and social responsiveness at UCT, reportedly announced her resignation from her position in protest over the comments made by Pae.

Pule wrote on Facebook: ““The institution of religion is unwavering and it’s a known fact. And with the SRC and the fact that I have to sit in committees for hours with people that get paid for it. To sit in those committees and my academics having to suffer and having nothing to show for it is a problem. I can’t.”

In May, former Wits SRC Mcebo Dlamini was dismissed from his role as president or member of the Students’ Representative Council (SRC) after he was found guilty of misconduct.

Dlamini wrote on his Facebook account that he loved Hitler, the leader of Nazi Germany who initiated World War II and oversaw fascist policies that resulted in millions of deaths.

He, like Pae, refused to apologise for his remarks, saying: “I will write what I like on my Facebook; I’m not on the social media platform to nurse Jewish people’s feelings.”