THE University of Pretoria has stood by its decision to reinstate a lecturer accused of organising separate lectures for white and black students.
In April last year, one of the students at the University of Pretoria’s Society, the Economic Freedom Fighters Students Command (EFFSC) opened a case of racism and discrimination at the Transformation Office, against Martin Pienaar, who is a Lecturer at the Mamelodi campus.
Pienaar was accused of favouring white students over black students and arranging separate classes for white and black students.
Following the emergence of the allegations, Pienaar was removed from lecturing pending the investigation. However, Pienaar returned to his duties in July and the institution has defended its decision to reinstate him citing that the witnesses never came forward.
The University of Pretoria’s Public Relations and Events Manager Department of Institutional Advancement, told the Sunday Independent that after it was agreed between the representatives of the anonymous complainant who had initially reported the matter and the Transformation Office, no response was received.
“Upon learning of the alleged incident, the University, through its Transformation Office, promptly engaged with members of the EFF University of Pretoria student society, who raised the initial concerns. During that meeting, it was agreed that for the matter to be thoroughly investigated, the Transformation Office needed to meet with the actual complainant, who at the time chose to remain anonymous.
“It was further agreed that the investigation would proceed confidentially, with a meeting to be scheduled between the Transformation Office, the complainant, and one representative from the student society.
“Despite multiple efforts by the Transformation Office to arrange the meeting, there was no response from the complainant or their representative. In June, the Transformation Office sent a last communication indicating that the case would be temporarily closed pending a response from the complainant to confirm availability. Unfortunately, no response has been received, and as a result, the university has been unable to continue with the investigation,” spokesperson Shaslin Girraj said.
He further said that the University continued to review and implement the findings from its Institutional Culture Survey to “break down artificial barriers to access and success, fostering a sense of belonging” for all members of our university community.
“Leaders within faculties and departments are actively tasked with applying the survey's recommendations.
“Through the Transformation Office, the university conducts quarterly workshops that address harmful behaviours and highlight the key principles of the university’s Anti-Discrimination Policy. This policy explicitly condemns racism, along with other forms of discrimination, harassment, hate speech, and violence. Looking ahead, the University of Pretoria will be launching an online Anti-Discrimination and Anti-Sexual Harassment workshop in 2025 to extend further our efforts to instil these values across the institution,” he said.
Efforts to solicit a comment from the EFFSC were unsuccessful as the student body did not respond to a request for a comment.
A former SRC member who had registered the case told the Sunday Independent that he had since left the institution and said that the witness never came forward after registering the matter.
A student speaking on condition of anonymity said it was not easy for students to be witnesses and provide evidence because they feared academic sabotage from their lecturers.
In August, the country was in another racial flare-up after a white student was filmed urinating on a black student’s books and laptop at Stellenbosch University with the institution describing the incident as "racist," and immediately suspending the undergraduate student, whom it did not name.
In a cellphone video that went viral on social media, the man barged into the first-year black student's room at a hall of residence in the pre-dawn hours and urinated on his belongings.
The university "strongly condemns the destructive, hurtful and racist incident," Stellenbosch said in a statement. The University vice-chancellor Wim de Villiers said they were appalled by the behaviour.
These were not the only institutions that have made headlines for reports related to racism. In July, The Chairperson of the Select Committee on Education Makhi Feni following the emergence of alleged acts of racism at the Pretoria High School for Girls following the discovery of a WhatsApp group in which a group of white pupils allegedly sent messages to each other with racial undertones.
This was followed by the revelation of an incident at Table View High School where a substitute teacher allegedly used the “k” word during a history lesson and another incident at Pinelands High School involving a “slave auction” of black learners by their coloured counterparts. Both those schools are in the Western Cape.
This prompted the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development to also issue a statement condemning both incidents.