Listen "The problem of whiteness and what SA should be doing about it"
Episode Synopsis
Despite the end of apartheid 28 years ago, racial incidents continue to be reported in SA's schools with increased regularity, according to South African Human Rights Commission's (SAHRC) Commissioner Andre Gaum.
In this episode of the Politics Weekly, we ask what sustains racism in our society, and how we can fight it more effectively. Joining our host, Mike Siluma, to frame this discussion are Gaum, social commentator and author of Run Racist Run, Eusebius McKaiser and lecturer of Public Policy and Political Science at the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal Dr Fikile Vilakazi.
Gaum explains that the most recent SAHRC statistics compiled from various incident reports shows a distinct and worrisome year-on-year increase in occurrences of human rights violations. He explains that violation within schools and institutions of higher learning, related to sexual orientation and race, are of particular concern. Only this week a white student, Theuns du Toit, was suspended from Stellenbosch University for urinating on the belongings of a black fellow student, Babalo Ndwayana's, belongings. Ndwayana claimed the incident was racially motivated based on comments made by du Toit during the event. At the same institution, a student was verbally abused for asking for an Indian song at a dance.
McKaiser, Vilakazi and Mike discuss the tumultuous race relations still experienced by South Africans, how our historical handling of white supremacy has failed our society and what SA should do to undo the trauma caused by whiteness and a sense of superiority and exceptionalism that often leads to outrageous displays of racism in our everyday lives and institutions. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
In this episode of the Politics Weekly, we ask what sustains racism in our society, and how we can fight it more effectively. Joining our host, Mike Siluma, to frame this discussion are Gaum, social commentator and author of Run Racist Run, Eusebius McKaiser and lecturer of Public Policy and Political Science at the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal Dr Fikile Vilakazi.
Gaum explains that the most recent SAHRC statistics compiled from various incident reports shows a distinct and worrisome year-on-year increase in occurrences of human rights violations. He explains that violation within schools and institutions of higher learning, related to sexual orientation and race, are of particular concern. Only this week a white student, Theuns du Toit, was suspended from Stellenbosch University for urinating on the belongings of a black fellow student, Babalo Ndwayana's, belongings. Ndwayana claimed the incident was racially motivated based on comments made by du Toit during the event. At the same institution, a student was verbally abused for asking for an Indian song at a dance.
McKaiser, Vilakazi and Mike discuss the tumultuous race relations still experienced by South Africans, how our historical handling of white supremacy has failed our society and what SA should do to undo the trauma caused by whiteness and a sense of superiority and exceptionalism that often leads to outrageous displays of racism in our everyday lives and institutions. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
More episodes of the podcast Sunday Times Politics Weekly
Nomvula Mokonyane on political awakening, GNU, Zuma’s ‘betrayal’ and presidential ambitions
13/09/2025
An eroded NEC – Malusi Gigaba speaks out
16/08/2025
‘All my office furniture was made by prisoners’: Groenewald pushes for hard labour, deportations
07/08/2025
The cost of protest in South Africa
20/03/2025
How the ANC in Gauteng will be fixed
08/03/2025
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.