Storm over Basson tutoring

16 November 2015 - 02:14 By Farren Collins

Open Stellenbosch, a movement of mostly black students and staff, wants the university to investigate the activities of staff and guest lecturers during apartheid. The call was made in the wake of revelations that apartheid-era chemical warfare expert Wouter Basson tutored Stellenbosch University students earlier this year. Basson, who works at a private hospital, gave tutorials to fourth-year medical students at the company's Durbanville premises, in Cape Town.In 2013, the Health Professions Council of SA found Basson guilty of unprofessional conduct on four charges related to his role in the apartheid security apparatus."It is immoral for the university to be associated with Basson and allow someone who carried out biological warfare to make contact with students," said Simone Cupido, the movement's spokesman.Cupido said the university had been evasive about its relationship with Basson.A medical student who asked not to be named said she attended Basson's tutorial in February."I was extremely uncomfortable with him teaching us. I found it unethical that he was still involved in medicine and that the university sent us there knowing he was employed by Mediclinic."Higher Education and Training spokesman Khaye Nkwanyana said: " We understand the university has the discretion to employ whoever [but] Basson is a national liability."He aided apartheid. Such a person can't be given a lifeline to teach. His hands are dripping with blood. Basson doesn't deserve to teach anywhere in the country."Students from the university's Tygerberg campus said they would ask the faculty of medicine and health sciences to bar Basson from teaching next year."While acknowledging that Basson is not directly employed by Stellenbosch, the Tygerberg Student Council hereby issues a clear and unambiguous call to management to effectively bar him from any and all contact with students."Stellenbosch University said yesterday that Basson wa s not involved in any capacity in the lecturing or tutoring of students."As part of a project in partnership with Mediclinic, fourth- and fifth-year students complete four-week internal medicine rotations at Mediclinic hospitals and receive clinical training ," it said.Stellenbosch's medicine and health sciences faculty said it withdrew Basson's accreditation as a clinical supervisor when he was found guilty by the HPCSA...

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