The University of Cape Town (UCT) has taken umbrage being listed among educational institutions where “racism…is systemic”. The Higher Education Transformation Network (HETN) earlier this week said “revelations of racist taunting…at Stellenbosch University” came against a backdrop of “racist incidents at several of the historically white universities including the University of Pretoria‚ North-West University and UCT amongst others”.“To present as fact an argument that there is a ‘systemic’ racism at UCT is incorrect and misleading‚” a university statement on Wednesday said.“UCT‚ like South African society‚ has been deeply affected by the legacies of apartheid and we have been committed to redressing those.“We reject that UCT has allowed this legacy to continue and to be systemised.”The university’s statement said its “new admissions policy for the 2016 intake is an example of many initiatives that the university has embarked upon to help create a non-racial society that does not privilege people‚ or deny them opportunities‚ on the basis of their race”.This policy‚ UCT said‚ “incorporates race as one of several factors to be considered in assessing an applicant's historic disadvantage”.The statement also said the “university also has various facilities in place which are instrumental in ensuring that discrimination of any kind is adequately and firmly dealt with by the university”.“High on the university’s priority list is ensuring that UCT is a free and fair space for both students and staff to debate thoughts and ideas in a manner that is not offensive‚” it said...