Media research group Media Tenor says that after analysing 50 articles focusing on the debates around #Rhodesmustfall, they found several major trends.
First the debate was largely framed around transformation and redress at UCT, with a fair bit of negativity being directed towards the institution.
The Rhodes statue had apparently become a symbol for debates around creating an inclusive environment for students.
They also found that while Julius Malema was the most prominent politician regarding coverage of the debate, it was students and staff at UCT that really pulled in the numbers as the debate went national, particularly Xolela Mangcu, an associate professor of sociology at UCT and vice chancellor Max Price.
"There has been simmering anger among black students and staff about the lack of racial transformation at the university. The motto of the students is "We can't breathe", referring to the suffocating whiteness of the institution," Mangcu wrote.
While Price supported moving the statue, he did not support its destruction.
"I just think it should not be there - it should be moved. This will not compromise our ability to record and debate the role Rhodes played in the city's and continent's history," he said.
"We can no longer breathe. The winds of change are blowing through UCT," UCT students' representative council president Ramabina Mahapa said as he walked out of a seminar.
"Since Chumani Maxwele threw sewerage over the statue on 9 March there has been a mass of public engagement," Media Tenor said.
"With the majority of media sentiment directing the narrative towards the removal of the statue the pressure is now on the UCT Council to decide what is going to be the most appropriate form of action," they said.
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