Babalo Ndwayana has made a sharp U-turn and decided to lay criminal charges against his roommate’s friend who urinated on his belongings at the weekend.
The “racial attack” took place in the early hours of Sunday when a “drunk” Theuns du Toit rocked up in Ndwayana’s room at Stellenbosch University, unzipped his pants, and urinated on his laptop and books.
Asked by Ndwayana why he was behaving in that manner, Du Toit is said to have responded: “This is what we do to black boys.”
The first-year law student has since been suspended from the university.
Early on Tuesday Ndwayana, a 19-year-old first-year agricultural studies student, said he had forgiven his tormentor and would not be pressing charges. But his father demanded that justice be served.
According to media reports, Ndwayana has resolved to open a case against Du Toit and now wants him expelled from the university. He is supported by thousands of other students who have started a petition calling for Du Toit’s expulsion.
So far, the petition has garnered more than 27 000 signatures.
The charges are racism, malicious damage to property as well as housebreaking.
In a statement on Tuesday, Stellenbosch University’s Vice-chancellor Professor Wim de Villiers said: “We acted swiftly and decisively to uphold our commitment to a culture inclusivity. What happened at Huis Marais [campus residence] is not acceptable. No student has the right to diminish another student’s human dignity or rights in this way.”
Joining a growing list of politicians, celebrities, and prominent people calling for Du Toit’s expulsion, ActionSA said the students should make it hard for oppressors to continue doing their work.
ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba said: “We call upon students at universities across the country to stand up for one another and help create environments across campuses that make it difficult for those who seek to have us regress to pre-1994 conditions by their appalling behaviours.”
The DA have also said they welcome the formal investigation into the incident at Stellenbosch University.
“We have written to the registrar to request that the matter be placed on the agenda for the upcoming council meeting. Management must account for remedial steps taken,” reads their statement.
This story has been updated
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