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AfriForum’s sticker stunt backfires as University of Pretoria to take action against students
The AfriForum youth wing said it pasted the stickers in response to chants by EFF Student Command.
Picture: X/AfriForum Jeug
A PR stunt by the youth wing of the civil rights organisation AfriForum backfired after the University of Pretoria announced that it will be taking disciplinary action against the group for placing stickers around the campus that read: ‘No whites allowed’. The students claim they “merely trying to prove a point”.
The organisation’s youth wing, Afriforum Jeug, placed the stickers at the entrance of the Hatfield campus in reaction to chants by EFF students during a political meeting.
Now the university may choose to suspend or expel the offending students.
“[AfriForum Jeug attempted to] expose double standards at Tuks with protest stickers [at the Hatfield campus] that provoke heated debate,” the organisation said on its X (formerly Twitter) page.
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This after they claimed that they were blatantly ignored by the university when it raised concerns about an EFF meeting where students were seen shouting: “Only black students!”.
“AfriForum had sent several letters to the university demanding the deregistration of the EFF Student Command (EFFSC UP) as a student society. The university simply refused to respond,” it said.
AfriForum members felt ignored
“The deathly silence with which UP greeted the letters forced frustrated AfriForum members to take a new approach to get answers from the university.”
The organisation then admitted to taking the matter into its own hands by printing the stickers and pasting them at the entrance of the Hatfield Campus.
“University management reacted quickly, condemning the protest action and threatening disciplinary action against individuals responsible for putting up the stickers.
“It is shocking that the university reacts so quickly and heated to a protest against racial exclusion on their campus, while those who are guilty of actual racial exclusion bear no consequences for their actions,” AfriForum Jeug said.
The University of Pretoria has since responded to the incident, stating that it was disappointed by the actions of the AfriForum students. “We strongly condemn and are deeply disappointed by the public relations stunt carried out by mischievous individuals, involving the placement of ‘no whites allowed’ stickers on certain entrances of the Hatfield Campus.
“We will take immediate disciplinary action against those responsible for defacing the university’s property, and advocating for racism in an institution of higher learning dedicated to the education and transformation of South Africa,” it said.
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Racial tension mounts
Meanwhile, racial tension at the university continues to mount. The Democratic Alliance (DA) called on the UP interim vice-chancellor and principal, Prof Themba Mosia, to urgently intervene regarding the seeming escalating racial tension at the institution.
“The DA has lodged a complaint with the South African Human Rights Commission requesting an urgent investigation into the EFF Student Command’s recent attempts to bar certain students from the University of Pretoria campus,” the DA said.
The university’s Student Representative Council also urged students to refrain from racist actions and said it would show those individuals who didn’t comply the door.
“We don’t tolerate any bigots or racists, this is a safe space and if you’re not comfortable with that, there’s the door,” the SRC said.
