- The family a Stellenbosch University student from the Eastern Cape is pushing for the expulsion of the student who urinated on his desk, laptop and study material.
- The victim, Babalo Ndwayana, says it appears as if the student was drunk at the time of the incident.
- Ndwayana's father, Mkuseli Kaduka, says he wants the suspended perpetrator, Theuns du Toit, to be expelled.
The outraged father of a Stellenbosch University student, who was the victim of an alleged racist incident at the university, says he is glad his son filmed the entire ordeal to highlight the "entrenched racism still plaguing the university".
Mkuseli Kaduka, 49, the father of Babalo Ndwayana, 20, is pushing for the expulsion of Theuns du Toit who was identified as the student who urinated on his son's desk, laptop and study material.
"This incident clearly highlights deep-rooted racism at that institution," Kaduka told News24.
On Sunday, Ndwayana, from Mdantsane in East London, captured footage of a white student, urinating all over his belongings inside his Huis Marais dormitory room on campus.
Ndwayana, a first-year Bachelor of Agri-Business Management and Economics student, told News24 on Tuesday the student was his roommate's friend, but the roommate was not present at the time of the incident.
He also accused Du Toit of being drunk during the incident, saying he entered his room through the unlocked door at around 04:00 on Sunday.
According to Ndwayana, when the recording stopped, Du Toit told him "it's a white boy thing" which he interpreted to mean "this is what they [white boys] do to black boys". Du Toit then left the room.
Kaduka told News24 the family had been left disturbed, anxious and outraged by the entire incident.
According to him, Ndwayana's mother was constantly worrying about her son's safety on campus.
Kaduka, a production worker at the Mercedes-Benz SA plant in East London, said: "We are glad that this incident happened as it has highlighted something that has been happening at that university, as we have gathered from several people."
He revealed the university had booked his son a flight home for next week to rest until his exams.
Kaduka added: "As parents, we send our kids to these institutions for them to be developed and attain their qualifications. You do not expect that suddenly one morning you wake and find that your boy has been a victim of such an incident."
Ndwayana urged the university to move with speed and purpose to deal with the matter and avoid a lengthy investigation because "there is irrefutable evidence showing the perpetrator committing the act".
"We are of the view that he should be expelled but it should not end there. The institution needs to put systems in place so that such incidents do not happen again," he added.
"If they don't act, we are likely to hear about the same incident happening in the near future to other students," said Kaduka.
After the incident, Ndwayana said the university removed him from his dorm room for one day and placed him in a quarantine room where students, who tested positive for Covid-19, were normally kept while isolating.
READ: Adriaan Basson | Alleged racist urination video a wake-up call for Stellenbosch University
The incident sparked widespread condemnation and has been labelled as racist by many, including the SA Students Congress.
An online petition, launched to force the university to expel Du Toit, already had more than 31 000 signatures on Tuesday.
The petition's organisers said the incident was racially motivated.
It read:
Ndwayana said the university had been helpful to him, organised therapy and also committed to replace the books and laptop damaged during the incident.
The university has since suspended the perpetrator and is investigating the incident.
Asked how he was feeling, Ndwayana said: "I really appreciate the support I am getting because currently I am traumatised and feel dehumanised because my rights for privacy and dignity were violated."
He has decided to press charges against Du Toit.
"I have delayed opening the case because I have been waiting for him or his parents to apologise. I was trying to show sympathy and mercy on him. But he or his parents have reached out to me, hence I am going ahead with opening a case against him so I can get closure."
Ndwayana started his schooling at Emafini Primary School in Gqeberha and proceeded to the Khwezi Lomso Comprehensive School also in the town.
He left in Grade 10 to finish his schooling at Mizamo High School in Mdantsane.
Asked what he wants to do after university, he said: "I am not really a person who was born to work nine to six or work for another person. I want to start my own farm."
We want to hear your views on the news. Subscribe to News24 to be part of the conversation in the comments section of this article.