After a long four-year fight Yolanda Dyantyi, who was expelled for life from Rhodes University in 2017, has emerged victorious.
On Tuesday, Dyantyi shared on Twitter that she had won a case against Rhodes University. “It brings me great pleasure to announce that I have won against Rhodes University. The appeal is upheld, and the judgment has been set aside,” Dyantyi wrote.
A final-year student majoring in politics and international relations, Dyantyi was expelled for taking part in a social media campaign known at the time as the #RhodesReferenceList.
The campaign had sought to name and shame people who were suspected of raping other students on the Grahamstown campus.
Facing pressure and with its reputation on the line, the university moved swiftly and identified a group of female students that it accused of allegedly dragging the rape suspects out of their rooms and humiliated them in public.
Dyantyi, who was identified as one of the members of the group, was subjected to a disciplinary hearing, which found her guilty of kidnapping, assault, insubordination and defamation. The verdict was expulsion.
At the time, Rhodes University said Dyantyi’s expulsion was not related to her involvement in the protest, but because she had committed a crime and violated the rights and liberties of other students (suspected rapists).
Her expulsion meant she could not be enrolled in any institution of higher learning and could not finish her degree.
UPDATE: 29/03/2022 I have won against Rhodes University ♥ The Supreme Court of Appeal has set aside the guilty judgement by Rhodes from 2017 and my appeal is upheld.#YolandaRhodesVictory #StandWithYolanda A Black women has won against the might of racist patriarchal violence! https://t.co/KcGui4DZtY
— #StandWithYolanda (@YoliShade) March 29, 2022
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