CAPE TOWN (1st April 2015) - The University of Cape Town is moving to rid itself of other vestiges of the legacy of 19th century mining magnate, imperialist and benefactor, Cecil John Rhodes. This follows the overwhelming vote by the University Senate on Friday last week adopting a proposal that a statue of Rhodes, currently overlooking the rugby fields, be permanently removed from the campus and boarded up with immediate effect until that is done.
The matter was due to be considered by Convocation on Tuesday.
According to university insiders there is a recognition that this belated action, while necessary, is not sufficient to rid the institution of the residue of Rhodes' imperialist colonialist legacy.
Yesterday, a number of students who drove the original "Rhodes Must Fall" campaign asked why Rhodes Scholars - the direct living beneficiaries of Rhodes' ill-gotten plunder of the African people and the theft of their land and wealth - were still permitted on campus. The #RhodesScholarsRaus! hashtag trended on Twitter in South Africa throughout Tuesday.
As one activist commented, it was a moral assault on the sensibilities of the victims of apartheid-colonialism to have to watch Rhodes Scholars walk unhindered across the university grounds. Others have raised concerns that such individuals threaten the psychological health and well-being of students, given that their presence has been known to trigger Post-Colonial Distress Syndrome (PCDS).
#RhodesScholarsRaus! activists rejected the counter-argument, made by some on Twitter, that a number of Rhodes Scholars had recently written highly critically of Rhodes and his legacy. They pointed out that such people were merely displaying the very same deviousness, hypocrisy, lack of moral scruple and money-grabbing tendencies that had characterised Rhodes' ruthless empire building in southern Africa.
In a statement issued late yesterday UCT Vice Chancellor Dr Max Price said he continued to be incredibly inspired by the protestors' activism and the University would move quickly to address their latest concerns.
To this effect the University had implemented an immediate ban on Rhodes Scholars from outside the university coming onto campus. Although it was more difficult to remove Rhodes Scholars currently employed by the University, the administration was drawing up a list of such individuals and would be consulting lawyers about how best to facilitate their departure.
Dr Price said that he realised and accepted that as a Rhodes Scholar himself, many students found his continued presence on campus profoundly offensive and oppressive. As an interim measure, while his own position was under consideration, he had agreed to place a cardboard box over himself while in his office in the Bremner Building.
If he was obliged by his duties to travel across campus, and it was impractical to do so in this container, he would wear a brown paper bag over his head in its place, as well as a large formless overcoat. This would hopefully minimise the potential for the understandable distress many students would feel were they to inadvertently catch sight of his visage.
The University's final policy on the matter would, as with the Rhodes statue, need to go before Senate and then Convocation for approval.
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