Family wants Stellenbosch student banned from all universities

The family of Mdantsane-born Babalo Ndwayana, whose study material, including a laptop, was urinated on by his white roommate’s friend at Stellenbosch University’s Huis Marais residence on Sunday morning, wants Theuns du Toit banned from all SA universities.

Ndwayana woke up with Du Toit urinating on his desk at about 4am.

Ndwayana, who opened a criminal case against Du Toit on Tuesday, said he wanted to fight Du Toit but opted to film him instead.

Du Toit was suspended from the university pending an investigation.

The 20-year-old Ndwayana, who matriculated at Mizamo High School in Mdantsane’s NU15, is a first-year agricultural science student.

Ndwayana said he has flashbacks of the incident.

“I want that person to be expelled from the university. I maintain I have no problem with my white roommate and will continue to stay with him.

“My dignity has been undermined by this person,” Ndwayana said.

He said he had opened a case of malicious damage to property and crimen injuria at the Stellenbosch police station

The Dispatch visited the student’s family in Mdantsane on Tuesday.

The family said they were informed of the incident by Ndwayana shortly after it happened.

His father Mkhuseli Kaduka said: “I was shocked when I heard about this. I soon grew afraid for my son because he is in another province.

“I immediately wrote an email to the vice-chancellor of the university but unfortunately I have not received a response

“My son told me he was faced with fighting that young man but he opted to take a video in which he was told by this young man that this is a ‘white thing, boy’,” Kaduka said.

In a statement on Monday, the university said it “strongly condemns the destructive, hurtful and racist incident captured on a cellphone video at the Huis Marais residence on the Stellenbosch University campus in the early hours of Sunday morning”. 

Kaduka said he wanted the university to urgently hold rigorous workshops on intercultural diversity and invite former black students who might have experienced incidents of racism at the university.

“We are not happy at all. One would have thought incidents of this nature were a thing of the past.

“I am glad my son recorded this because it might have remained under the carpet.

“The university offered to move Ndwayana to another room but we refused the arrangement.

“Will the university always move a black student to another room whenever there is an incident of this nature?

“The university must deal with the issue. My son told me he sees no reason to be separated from his white roommate because he did not have problems with him,” Kaduka  said.

“There are people out there who do not understand how serious this incident is for my son and my family.

“The country is in great need of a dialogue. The university needs a serious debate on racism and intercultural diversity.”

Kaduka described his son as quiet and easy going.

“He loves his family and his sisters as he is our first born. He loves cooking. He is very passionate about agriculture.”

Kaduka said he wanted Du Toit to face the consequences of his actions.

“The expulsion only is not enough. I want him to be banned from all universities for a certain period.

“An example has to be made to prevent this happening again,” Kaduka said.

He said they had waited for the Du Toit family to reach out to them.

“The reason we decided to open a case on Tuesday afternoon is because we wanted to give the Du Toit family ample time to reach out to us.

“As a parent, when your son has done something wrong to another family, you reach out to that family. They have not done that.”

The university’s vice-chancellor Prof Wim de Villiers said what happened was not acceptable.

“We are appalled by this type of behaviour. Such conduct will not be tolerated at the university.

“We acted swiftly and decisively to uphold our commitment to a culture of inclusivity.

“What happened at Huis Marais is not acceptable. No student has the right to diminish another student’s human dignity or rights in this way,” De Villiers said.

The university’s senior director for student affairs Dr Choice Makhetha said: “The student affected is clearly in shock after his very upsetting and painful ordeal.

“He is trying to process what happened and was offered counselling.

“He will be supported as and when required to ensure his academic progress is not affected by the incident,”  Makhetha said.

Ndwayana is set to return home on May 24 and go back to write examinations in June. The university has offered to pay for his flight.

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