Student leaders at the University of Fort Hare’s East London campus are calling for the immediate suspension of Zimbabwean students embroiled in what they believe is hate speech.
A conversation on a WhatsApp group among fourth-year students took an ugly turn when Zimbabwean and South African students started attacking each other. Screenshots of the messages have since gone viral on social media.
In the message, seen by the Daily Dispatch, a Zimbabwean student wrote: “We are here for your resources, we wipe accounts, take all the fee waiver and send to our families who are starving at home. We will use that money for masters’ PHD, while you all are here as 8th year senior law students. Only in South Africa where you find a family with 7 different surnames in one shack.”
Another wrote: “Our research in Zimbabwe shows us that the E.C [Eastern Cape] is the second poorest province in South Africa. The grave site is the richest place. So we came to better you people. Some have been getting good marks because of playing with Zimbo’s [Zimbabweans] and foreigners in general.”
Students leaders are now calling for action from the university.
Earlier this year, then East London campus premier Yamkela Buyeye was suspended for calling a fellow SRC member a derogatory term used to describe foreign nationals.
UFH has had good relations with the Zimbabwean government since 1995 when 15 students benefiting from the Zimbabwean presidential scholarship were sent to study at UFH. Since then, more than 3,000 Zimbabwean students graduated at the university.
SRC deputy president Sonwabiso Mamkeli said the utterances have angered a lot of people.
“We are calling for the heads of those students and for them to be suspended from our institution,” he said.
The university confirmed being made aware of what it termed as “inflammatory and xenophobic language”.
“In the exchange it appears that one student used inflammatory language promoting violence,” said university spokesperson Khotso Moabi. He urged all students to “ignore this unfortunate and isolated incident”.
“The altercation seems to have been sparked by an unrelated incident in which a student was disciplined for reprehensible behaviour. The conversation degenerated into how student groups relate to each other by nationality.”
Moabi said the university would not tolerate any incident that might be construed as xenophobic and “will enforce the applicable regulations to deal with such hurtful behaviour. Our legal affairs division has prioritised the matters”.
The International Students Association of South Africa (Isasa), which represents foreign students in all South African universities, has distanced itself from what it termed “reckless and regrettable statements” uttered by some local and international students.
Isasa president Clever Chigavazira said they encouraged the university to unleash the full wrath of the law in line with its policies...