From the news desk

Habib hits back at students

Share this article

Tensions were high at a Wits university debate on Thursday night, where vice chancellor Adam Habib apparently lost his cool on questions over the removal of controversial SRC president Mcebo Dlamini. The student’s “I love Hitler” comment has sparked nationwide debate on freedom of speech and also raised questions about his dismissal as president of the SRC.

Students have claimed that the “speedy” decision by Habib to remove Dlamini from his position was based on pressure from the Jewish community. But Habib said while he was always a critic of the Israeli state, his views were not anti-semitic.

It has been said that his dismissal is related to a physical altercation between him and a complainant last year‚ whilst his remarks about Adolf Hitler have been referred to the university’s legal department. This could lead to a second disciplinary hearing for the former SRC president.

“The university has stated Dlamini was not fired on the comments that he made but rather on the basis of something that was pending,” Qaaim Moyeni, vice chairperson of Wits Palestinian Solidarity Committee explained.

However, the PSC does not condone what was initially said by Dlamini: “As the Wits PSC we condemn any form of adoration for Hitler as we condemn, racism, sexism, Zionism and anti-Semitism,” Moyeni continued.

He noted that there was a problem with the university management in dealing with this matter.

“There is inconsistency with Wits management in this issue. If a student showed admiration for someone like Saddam Hussein, the university would not intervene so quickly,” he argued.

“If you can act swiftly towards this issue then why cant you act so quickly to the Palestinian issue or the workers issue or the issue of students sleeping in the library.”

There seems to be a frustration amongst students when it comes to the university’s policies with regards to certain matters.

“The university can act in a swift manner in issues and matters regarding the infringement of students rights, but fails to do so in most cases,” Moyeni explained.

“We are calling out the university to act in the same manner with all students regardless of race.”

The former SRC president is going to appeal the decision to remove him as head of the SRC. The Higher Education Transformation Network (HETN) has gone further to set up the “Defend Mcebo Dlamini Fund” for those wanting to contribute to Dlamini’s costs in his legal battle against Wits. VOC (Umarah Hartley)


Share this article

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

WhatsApp WhatsApp us
Wait a sec, saving restore vars.