Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande has come out in support of calls to have a statue of Cecil John Rhodes removed from the University of Cape Town, saying it should be "stored in a museum".
"Cecil did play a significant role in our history and we can not sweep that under the carpet," he said yesterday.
"However it does not mean we should celebrate history's most dubious and anti-democratic characters who used their ill-gotten power to promote bigotry and the subjugation of Africa's indigenous people."
Nzimande said transformation at South African universities should include changing the demographic composition on campuses and having a curriculum that reflected the country's developments and cultural needs.
"We should never accept the notion, implicitly or explicitly propagated by some that increasing inclusivity - at our best institutions will lead to a drop in quality.
"Such arguments only serve to defend privilege," the higher education minister said.
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