A screengrab of Theuns du Toit urinating in another student’s belongings . Images: @Wanda_Smash / Twitter and Interstudy / Flickr
A screengrab of Theuns du Toit urinating in another student’s belongings . Images: @Wanda_Smash / Twitter and Interstudy / Flickr
We’ve had officials from all corners of South African institutions speak out against the shocking footage emerging from Stellenbosch University this week, but it took until midday on Tuesday for the DA to present its own opinion.
Stellenbosch University shamed by urination scandal
The opposition party came under tremendous fire in the past 48 hours or so, after their usually-vociferous press releases failed to mention anything about the now-infamous ‘urination incident’ that took place over the weekend.
Stellies student Thenus du Toit peed on the belongings of a black student, in an allegedly racially-motivated incident. Babalo Ndwayana has come forward as the victim, claiming that his dignity and privacy ‘had been violated’.
Du Toit has since been suspended from his Stellenbosch University, and may face a permanent expulsion. It’s understood criminal charges will not be pursued against the teenage offender at this point, however.
DA derided for delayed response
While the outcry intensified, the DA – who have been passionate defenders of Stellies and use Afrikaans – waited before going public with their message. The party will argue that they were simply trying to gather all the facts, but some critics are unconvinced.
On a normal day the DA normally bombards the media with 5-10 press releases before 12 pm. Most of it critical of the ANC, EFF and government.
— Wesley Fester (@wesleyfestersa) May 16, 2022
Want to guess how many press releases they issued today about the urinating incident at Stellenbosch University?
Zero!!!!
Hey @Leon_Schreib, I know that Stellenbosch University is a deep passion of yours. You’ve accused it of being anti-Afrikaans and fought tirelessly for Afrikaans to be the language of instruction. Your prerogative. Your silence on the incident of racism is loud. What say thee?
— Phumzile Van Damme (@zilevandamme) May 17, 2022
How the DA has reacted to the Stellenbosch University incident?
It fell to Leon Schreiber – a DA Shadow Minister and a member of the Stellenbosch University council – to break the party’s perceived silence. He has described the incident as ‘humiliating’ for the victim, and demanded a ‘swift conclusion’ to the ongoing investigation.
“We welcome the investigation launched by Stellenbosch University. The incident, captured on video, is humiliating, hurtful and infringed upon the constitutionally-enshrined right to dignity of the victim, Babalo Ndwayana.”
“We urge that the matter be handled with the requisite speed demanded by the situation. We also encourage the university to provide all necessary support to Babalo Ndwayana. He did not ask for this to happen, and he should not suffer adverse consequences.”
Leon Schreiber
