Another race-charged row is brewing at the University of Cape Town (UCT) over the axing of a black professor in charge of transformation.
It is alleged that a woman was replaced by a 72-year-old retired white professor on a R2-million salary package when academics staff and unions have been ordered to make cut-backs.
IOL reported that Transformation Professor Loretta Feris was removed and replaced with British historical archaeologist Professor Martin Hall, who served in a variety of roles at UCT between 1983 and 2008. Hall assumed his duties as acting deputy Vice-Chancellor of Transformation on April 1 prompting an uproar on campus.
His appointment endorsed by the university council, has been condemned by the Black Academic Caucus at UCT, saying it endorses patriarchy and celebrates “whiteness at UCT”.
Another topic that had social media buzzing were those of former Democratic Alliance(DA) leader, Tony Leon throwing the notion of “checking privilege” to the wind.
In a interview with News 24, Leon explained that the government is “obsessed” with race. According to him race is the least relevant part of his identity, and even went on to say that the allocation of his whiteness is “irritating.”
Leon even engaged with former party leader, Mmusi Maimane in an online feud after he said Maimane’s election as the party’s leader in 2015 “was an experiment that went wrong”.
So yes race is of course no new topic to South Africans and it will continue to make headlines whenever they touch the word. So we ask again is the subject taboo, milked dry, or not discussed enough?
Picture: Cape Town Etc gallery
ALSO READ :
Former DA leader Tony Leon throws “checking privilege” to the wind