Jansen just an Uncle Tom
by
2009-11-01 14:15
I AM appalled by the University of Free State’s (UFS’s) Professor Jonathan Jansen’s decision to withdraw charges against the four racist boys from Reitz. What those white boys did to the university’s black cleaners was a grave insult, not only to the cleaners but to the entire black race.
Black people continue to endure racist treatment and unfair labour practices on farms throughout the country and our government does nothing about it. Every time incidents like these happen people like Archbishop Desmond Tutu call for reconciliation. It seems they have made careers out of appeasing racists.
We need politicians and academics who are committed to advancing transformation and are not afraid to deal severely with racists. We don’t need Uncle Toms like Tutu and Jansen.
Jansen did not even consult the victims to find how they felt about the university’s decision to withdraw charges. He clearly did not have the poor workers’ interests in mind.
It is very sad when even the most enlightened and educated in our community still pander to minority interests. Jansen has shown that he is just a token appointment who has neither the courage nor the programme of action to transform the UFS.
He is further perpetuating the widespread belief that black academics are only concerned about gaining acceptance in the “white world”.Lucian HlopheDaveyton