ANT KATZ

“South-Africa is still healing from the raw wounds of the xenophobic violence that made world headlines for all the wrong reasons. Utterances such as the one made by the Wits SRC President Mcebo Dlamini, whether for personal attention or pandering to a bigger picture, do not help the situation,” said Bergman.

The matter arises out of a Facebook post by the embattled Wits SRC president, who is facing his third disciplinary enquiry this year over the issue – even as he continues to defend his position.

RIGHT: DA MP Darren Bergman

The SRC president, who was suspended for a time earlier this year by Wits’ administration, found himself in hot water in March when allegations that he had not convened a meeting since assuming the position last year and that he had used SRC funds to support anti-Israel events.

That led to Wits Vice-Chancellor Adam Habib appointing a high-level investigation.

Anticipated

The results of that were due to be published last week and Jewish Report hopes to interview Habib on the report and the latest issue during the course of Monday.

“If the SRC president was educated on the World War Two history,” said the DA’s Bergman, “he might find that had he been around at that time, he would be facing the exact same fate as Jewry faced alongside many other nations and cultures.

“It is time that our leaders start standing out for the right reasons and that we all act responsibly in the interest of peace and reconciliation,” added Bergman.

RELATED READS ON JEWISH REPORT ONLINE

25 March: PROJECT W DISTANCES ITSELF FROM WITS SRC – includes official complaint

28 April: ‘I LOVE HITLER’ SAYS WITS SRC PRESIDENT – Media storm follows statement

Alvin Kushner, national chairman of the South African Union for Progressive Judaism (SAUPJ) also spoke out against Dlamini last week: SAUPJ “joins people of all religions and creeds in condemning the abhorrent statement”, said Kushner.

“This person has not only expressed his support to the biggest mass murderer of all time, but has also attempted to taint all efforts towards racial harmony in South Africa.

“Our concern is compounded by the fact that this person was voted into the position he holds by a majority of students,” he said. “We can only hope and trust that those who had voted him into his leadership position will cease to give this person support and join the voices of the masses of rational stable members of society.”

Bibi is comparable to Hitler

Dlamini told the Sunday Times’ Chris Barron that, “From where I stand,” Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu was comparable to Hitler.
Leon Reich, national chairman of Likud-SA (the local affiliate of Netanyahu’s party), told Jewish Report Online: “This is a reflection of the SRC’s understanding of the issue. I believe Prof Adam Habib is well-equipped to deal with this matter. The question is how quickly he will act and how tough he is going to be,” said Reich, “as a weak reaction will encourage continuity of this ignorant hatred.

“Israel’s record in international humanitarian crises is self-evident and has as yet not been emulated. Their involvement in the wake of the Haiti earthquake, and again in Nepal, speaks volumes,” said Reich.

Leon J Mithi, chairman of the official opposition ProjectW on the Wits SRC, sent a complaint to Habib last week and addressed it as an open letter to all South Africans.

The SRC president, said Mithi, “made several comments on Facebook … (and) on various television channels,” including that:

• He loves Adolf Hitler;
• All white people have some Adolf Hitler in them;
• Every white person has an element of hate in them; and  
• Hitler had great charisma and organisational skills and is worthy of admiration.

READ MITHI’S FULL STATEMENT BELOW

With reference to Dlamini’s statement in Mithi’s last-mentioned point about, SA Union of Jewish Students’ (SAUJS) national chairman, in an interview with Jewish Report Online last week, said: “So what?” If PW Botha had been a good cook, he asked rhetorically, would it in any way justify Apartheid?”

The South African Centre for Religious Equality (SACRED) also slammed Dlamini. In a statement issued by national chairman Rabbi Julia Margolis, SACRED objected to Dlamini’s utterances.

“That Adolf Hitler was a great man whose leadership should be emulated is shocking to any thinking member of society. His policy of the extermination of the Jewish people, the enslavement of Europe and the destruction of democracy is against South Africa’s core beliefs of human rights, the rule of law, pluralism and freedom of religion and expression.

“To compare ‘the current Palestinian situation’ to the Holocaust serves only to emphasise his racist, anti-Semitic viewpoint,” said Margolis. If the University of the Witwatersrand is committed not to discriminate against any person based on their race, religion, colour, ethnicity, sexual orientation or political affiliation, SACRED urges that the University authorities act expeditiously to take the appropriate disciplinary action against Mcebo Dlamini,” she said

ProjectW’s official complaint

 Mithi,  the complainant that led to the investigation in March against Dlamini, issued the following letter of complaint to Prof Habib, as well as releasing it in the public domain as an Open Letter:

Dear South Africa

On the 26th of April the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits)  Student Representative Council (SRC)  President Mcebo Dlamini/Sisulu  made several comments on Facebook, he further went on to make statements on various television channels .

The effect of these comments was that

• He loves Adolf Hitler. 
• All white people have some Adolf Hitler in them.
• Every white person has an element of hate in them .
• Hitler had great charisma and organisational skills and is worthy of admiration

The SRC constitution states in its preamble that:

1. The Students’ Representative Council is committed to exemplary student leadership in defining the African Century.
2. It will uphold and safeguard the rights of all the students of the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.

The statements made by Mr Dlamini/Sisulu are in clear contravention of these two guiding principles. This is not exemplary behaviour. The view that all white people have a bit of Hitler in them is a clear racist attack and is tantamount to hate speech.

The University belongs to all who attend, this includes white students, to perpetuate hate to a group against students of this university is not the job of the SRC and is not upholding their rights to dignity and safety.

Section 2 of the constitution of the University clearly stipulates that our founding values are based on:

1. Upholding, respecting and promoting the founding values of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa 1996 and the rights contained in the Bill of Rights.
2. Providing democratic, transparent, effective, accountable and coherent student leadership.
3. Creating and sustaining an enabling academic environment and vibrant student community striving for excellence, tolerance and respect for diversity.
4. Representing the best interests of the student community.

It is evident that Mr Dlamini/Sisulu’s statements are in contravention with the ideals of the Constitution of South Africa and are in the realm of hate speech. It is also clear that these statements are not in the best interests of the University community broadly, they cause pain and stigma to several constituents of the university and in addition they bring the University into disrepute.

Rhetorical hooliganism at its worst

The comments made by Mr Dlamini/Sisulu are also in contravention of rule 18 of the University which stipulate that no student may act in contempt of the University or act in ways which bring the University into disrepute.  In no way can this level of contravention be acknowledged as justifiable and Project W denounces this as rhetorical hooliganism. The outcomes of which are the endorsement of Adolf Hitler as a role model. The veneration of his strategic organisation is devoid of ethical considerations. The ends clearly do not justify the means in the case of Adolf Hitler and the statements made by Mr Dlamini are a celebration of means for the sake of celebrating means.

Tactics cannot be examined with adulation if their outcome is to conjugate hate and perpetuate crimes against humanity.

It is common cause that Adolf Hitler was a promoter of Eugenics, that he was a war-monger and above that a mass murderer. Hitler was anti-black, anti-homosexual, anti-women’s empowerment as well as being violently hateful to the Jewish community.
The extent of his evil (is) too traumatising to even consider. The hero-worshipping of such a man by influential student leaders, especially from a university with the gravitas of Wits, can reasonably lead to impressionable young minds viewing Adolf Hitler as a credible example of leadership to emulate.

This form of speech is reckless, it is offensive and it is criminal. 

We call upon the Vice-Chancellor of the University to exercise his powers of suspension under rule 1 of the Rules for Student Discipline to suspend Mcebo Dlamini from the SRC pending the outcome of an investigation into his original statements and his subsequent defence of them

The above statement was issued by the chairman of ProjectW; the leader of the Opposition in the SRC; all committee members of ProjectW, as well as all of their sitting SRC members, ended Mithi – as well as being “fully endorsed by the membership of ProjectW and the University community!”

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