racism is wrong

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Yesterday a thought came into my mind when I was listening to SAFM. I thought about a question that I heard before from someone, I can’t remember who exactly it is. This question, is a question I feel that as students we have to answer ourselves in order for us to grow to accept other peoples’ cultures. The question is “ever been judged on the bases of your skin colour and culture not on your abilities?” This question may not sound like one of the smartest statements you have heard, but I want to encourage you to continue reading so that you can get the full message of this statement.

Many students are victims and the crime they supposedly committed is being different in terms of race and culture. Racism is a war, that is not fought on the battle fields but in the battlefield of the mind. Racism is the belief of a false ideology that holds to the view that a certain race can be superior to another.

The memories of what happened last year at the Reitz Hostel at the University of Free State (UFS) is still fresh in our minds, what happened on that day raised a lot of racial tension in our country and especially in our universities. Many questions were also asked of the racial transformation in our universities. This week a report has been released which found that South African universities are behind in terms of racial transformation. The report states that many South African universities especially those that were previously meant to cater for white students only e.g. (UFS). Issues like this are intolerable in our country and place many students that are of colour, especially black student, as victims of racism. I strongly believe that the war on racism was won when South Africans democratically chose which government they wanted to rule over them back in 1994. Our constitution criminalizes racism we are all equal.

Racism is a real thing in South African institutions, yesterday I was listening to morning talk on SAFM and they had a panel discussing the issue of racism in South African universities. One of the people on the panel which was the SRC president of the University of KwaZulu Natal also referred to a situation whereby some lecturers would only enter the results of only white students into the system and refuse to enter the results of black students. This is just one example of many things that are happening in South African universities.

It is actually sad when you have racism in universities which are meant to be places that encourage rational reasoning; it is unacceptable that academics can uphold such views that a certain race can be superior to another; in essence that’s what racism is all about. How is it possible for an academic to be so ignorant as to believe that the colour of ones skins determines whether or not you’re able to do a certain subject or career. Academics are supposed to be leading by example in the abolishment of racist attitude in universities.

Racism makes people victims of a war they are not suppose to be even fighting. This is because nobody chooses the colour of their skin and race unless your surname is Jackson. How can I fight with someone on the bases of my skin colour? So how can one race despise another because of the colour of their skin? We should not be even fighting over racism because the idea of racism is illogical. So let us hope that racism will come to an end in South African Universities.

Senzo Mzila