DREADFUL POST APARTHEID SA

THE nation is in shock. The behaviour of the students of the University of the Free State, who humiliated workers in a video by making them consume their urine is beyond comprehension.
It demonstrates a level of psychopathic racism that deserves condemnation and the harshest punishment under the law.
More than that, it demonstrates that our country has returned to its primordial racist roots with a relish that casts doubt on the achievements of the last 14 years.
It would be shocking enough if this were the only incident of racism to blight our social landscape.
But it’s worse. Racism is rife in this country. There are incidents in schools and universities all the time as we frequently report in The Times.
It would be shocking enough if these were the actions of recalcitrant apartheid-era whites.
But they are not. They are the actions of our youth who began their schooling after the release of Nelson Mandela in a society which adopted racial reconciliation as its mainstay.
It is no exaggeration to say that South Africa is facing a growing crisis of race-hate.
And, it’s time it was acknowledged that black South Africans bear the brunt of this racism, despite the many complaints about “reverse discrimination” that are vociferously aired by whites.
The truth is that this vile disease of the mind, which was incubated under apartheid has gained a second wind in the post-Mandela era and is now threatening the very fabric of our society.
The university has taken strong action, which is to be commended. But the institution must go further and ask itself why its students felt that such behaviour was acceptable.
Has the campus become a true home to all South Africans, or is it still a white campus to which blacks are patronisingly invited?
We must unite against this evil before it overwhelms us once more.