Rhodes students question timing of ANCWL leader’s visit
RHODES students shunned ANC Women’s League president Bathabile Dlamini yesterday when she visited to show solidarity with students who embarked on a week-long protest against rape and sexual assault on campus.
Calling the visit a slap in the face, students asked where Dlamini had been during the height of the protests last week when some of them were arrested, the university took out an interdict and classes ground to a halt.
Only a handful of students made their way to the Rhodes University Theatre yesterday evening to hear Dlamini speak, with the rest saying she had arrived late and, by that time, most of the students had gone to watch a play at the theatre, which was based on the rape and sexual violence culture.
Prior to addressing the students, Dlamini spent hours in a meeting with Rhodes University vice-chancellor Dr Sizwe Mabizela.
Also present were the league’s secretary-general, Meokgo Matuba, as well as its provincial executive led by provincial chairwoman Bukelwa Fanta.
The meeting was aimed at finding solutions to the burning issue of university policies pertaining to rape and sexual harassment.
Dlamini said the meeting had been emotional at times, but students and management had agreed that policies regarding sexual harassment at the university would be reviewed.
