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UCT student claims it was lecturer who racially abused him

University of Cape Town (UCT) student Chumani Maxwele — who faces a disciplinary hearing for allegedly racially abusing a lecturer — has launched a counter salvo against the same lecturer‚ accusing her of racism.

There seems to be no end in sight in the story of the man who kick-started a debate about racial transformation at the university by throwing human faeces on the Cecil John Rhodes statue earlier this year.

Following moves to discipline him‚ after allegations that he racially abused lecturer Moriola Kirova‚ Maxwele launched two actions: one at the Equality Court and another at the Cape Town High Court.

In his latest court papers‚ filed at the Cape Town High Court this week‚ Maxwele says he experienced racism during the “Rhodes Must fall” campaign.

“The racism that I experienced during my involvement in the campaign is yet to come out and hopefully it does during the hearing of my complaint in the Equality Court‚” said Maxwele.

 “I was called names including that I was a barbarian‚ k***** and a savage who did not appreciate the value of history.”

UCT suspended Maxwele‚ 30‚ in June for allegedly swearing at Kirova in May‚ and for telling her that she was “a white woman who takes all the rights of the black students”.

Maxwele allegedly added: “We must not listen to whites‚ we do not need their apologies‚ they have to be removed from UCT and have to be killed.”

He earlier shot to fame when he was arrested and later successfully sued the government‚ in connection with an incident where he gave a zep sign to President Jacob Zuma’s motorcade‚ prompting a rough reaction from security guards who manhandled him.

UCT wants Maxwele to appear before a disciplinary panel to explain his alleged misdemeanours.

Maxwele also brought an urgent application in the Cape Town High Court on June 23 to interdict UCT from disciplining him. He wants the court to compel UCT to stop the hearing until the Equality Court matter is concluded.

He has also asked the court to declare a section of UCT’s policies‚ that the institution relied on when suspending him‚ unconstitutional.

There is no set date for the Equality Court complaint but the high court matter is set for hearing on July 20.

Maxwele set out his version of the incident that led to his suspension in a 23-page affidavit.

He alleges that he had gone to study at the institution’s mathematics building on May 1 when Kirova demanded his student card before allowing him into the building because she had “previously been attacked by a savage black man who had entered the building pretending to be a student and that a lecturer had been killed also by a barbaric black man”.

But UCT’s registrar‚ Hugh Amoore‚ dismissed Maxwele’s court actions as a trick to avoid disciplinary action. He said Maxwele had failed to appeal his suspension internally.

“There is no merit in the relief sought.

“I submit that the application is nothing more than an a transparent attempt by (Maxwele) to indefinitely avoid having to attend the disciplinary hearing‚ and to avoid having to answer to serious allegations made against him.”

 

 

 

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