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Did we learn any lessons?
“Let me begin by stating categorically that I had enough of the seemingly never-ending media bombardment following on the exposé of the inexcusable actions by four students from the Reitz male student residence at the Free State University and the reaction to the attempt by the rector, Professor Jonathan Jansen, to take this vile incident and turn it around into something positive that might even one day be recognised as a defining moment in this country’s journey to racial harmony and respect,” writes a regular contributor and ex-Bloemfontein student.
What the students did and how it was done is deplorable and disgusting and nothing can or will change that. The remedial steps that were introduced after the incident surfaced, left much to be desired. The wound and pain it caused was not only largely left unattended, but was allowed to fester.
Then, along came the newly appointed rector and in his much applauded inaugural address and in a spirit of reconciliation and to bring closure, he proposed that this highly traumatic and unfortunate incident be taken and, on the pain and suffering it caused, something admirable be constructed to remind us all never to let something repugnant as this ever happen again.
This article is not intended to take issue with or debate the decision if the four Reitz students should be allowed back on campus or not, what should have been done and what not, who should have been consulted and what procedures should have been followed, the legal implications of the decision and all the other issues that have been raised.
Disconcertingly, the storm that followed Prof. Jansen’s address reconfirmed the concern that obstacles identified long ago still confine nation building and reconciliation.
Most noticeable is that we South Africans are still incredibly critical, skeptical and suspicious. Why is it so extremely difficult to accept the word and explanation of someone, particularly if we do not agree with the person or when that person lays bare our preconceived perceptions and ideas?
Many of those, invited and uninvited, who dissected and interpreted the motives of Prof. Jansen, came to conclusions that must have amused and saddened the man. Why is it so extremely difficult for so many South Africans from all persuasions to accept the bona fides of a man who obviously tried in all honesty to put a new dressing on the festering wound? Yes, he might not have applied the dressing according to the latest medical handbook, but does it matter if the wound would heal in the long run?
The answer lies perhaps elsewhere and is perhaps part of a much larger problem.
Is our collective national mistrust and suspiciousness not the result of our constant exposure to and experience of being lied to by our leaders, past and present? Political, business, religious and sport leaders and icons have lied to us in such a dramatic and overpowering manner that we have lost our trust and even feel uncomfortable when confronted by someone seemingly honest and sincere in an attempt to resolve an unsettled problem.
The Reitz Four incident will unfortunately not be the last of this kind. As a matter of fact, in recent days, notice of another unsavoury incident in another male students' residence on the University of the Free State’s campus surfaced in the media. Will we follow the lessons we learnt from the unpleasant Reitz Four episode and try to prevent it from sliding into a media frenzy and political circus with little regard for those directly involved?
It is understandable, in fact imperative, that intervention is necessary to formulate and change policy to prevent or manage similar incidents should it, God forbid, happen again. It is likewise equally important to carry on relentlessly to search for civlised ways and means to eradicate the scourge of all forms of discriminations, particularly on racial grounds.
What hurts most is that it appears that in the aftermath of this incident and the furore that followed, those directly affected – the victims – and to a lesser degree the perpetrators, were sadly pushed aside only to be paraded in the media for all to see and stare at as showpieces with apparent little understanding for their feelings, privacy and dignity.
Admittedly, Minister Blade Nzimande met with the victims in private and obviously others did so as well, but the overriding image is that of individuals trying their best to score points and further their own agendas with little or no respect for those directly affected.
The real tragedy is that the question will remain after all the writings, talk shows, debates, phone-in sessions, television appearances, meetings, interviews, and protests have passed and the media has moved on to something more juicy, if we as South Africans will have progressed closer to a colour-blind society. A society most of us so desperately want and demand.
With the protest images on the campus of the University of the Free State still fresh in the mind and listening to the reaction of the students on that campus, I for one am skeptical. I have the uneasy foreboding that when a similar incident takes place some time in the future, hopefully not at the University of the Free State, a similar response is most likely, with very much the same result.
I hope and pray I am completely wrong. It would be such a relief and such a good feeling to be able to admit I had underestimated my fellow South Africans.
Encompassing empathy, grace, humility and courage to act Jansens's speach reminds one of another great son of South African, Nelson Mandela. Prof Jonathan Jansen proves that there is indeed hope for the future of our people. He leads by example from the front. I can only pray that many more will find the courage to follow his footsteps.