UCT been criticised once again for saying it was an “external party” event, after it came to light that it would give a platform to hosts who will have controversial singer Steve Hofmeyr in their line-up during a music event on the university campus.
Hartklop In Die Kaap, an Afrikaans concert, is scheduled to take place at the UCT rugby field on December 29, with a host of artists including Hofmeyr and his son, Armand Hofmeyr.
According to the poster, the line-up will also see the likes of Kurt Darren and Bernice West.
In July, the university came under fire from some students and academics after Kenyan Professor Patrick Lumumba, outspoken against the LGBTQI+ community, delivered a lecture at an EFF 10th anniversary at the university.
UCT said the lecture was hosted by an external party.
African-European Indaba founder Johan de Villiers said they were hoping that Hofmeyr’s performance was cancelled, and they rejected UCTs reasoning.
“I believe that UCT is easily sidestepping their own responsibility by blaming an event organiser.
Whoever performs, every individual remains the responsibility of UCT.
“While the event is planned during the holiday season when UCT students would be off campus, we still don’t understand how it can be that UCT, a learning institution, allows this.
“We would like to know the procedures in place which allow a performer with a questionable reputation and who is controversial to be on their grounds. It is like they are hiding behind the ‘event organiser’ excuse,” said De Villiers.
He wrote to UCT questioning its alignment with the event.
UCT spokesperson Elijah Moholola confirmed that the university received a request from the event organisers to host a music event on campus in December.
He said the request was done via the usual processes, and the university noted concerns that have been raised around one of the participants.
“The UCT management wishes to make it clear that the event in question is not a UCT event, but an event that is scheduled to be hosted on the UCT campus by an external party. This is in line with similar previous external events hosted on campus, including but not limited to corporate or sporting events,” said Moholola.
He said the university’s management was not in any way involved in the programme for events hosted by external parties on campus, nor did management necessarily align with the hosting external parties or any views held or expressed by any participant.
“The university notes concerns that have been raised around one of the participants, and urges the external host and the concerned parties to engage these accordingly.
In our statement of values, UCT commits itself, among others, to an institutional culture of inclusiveness, embodying respect for cultural, religious, linguistic,
political, and other differences and acknowledgement of the value of diversity in society,” said Moholola.
The event organisers and Hofmeyr did not respond to requests for comment on Thursday. Youth and student activist Masixole Mlandu said universities should understand its ethical duty.
“The university over the past couple of months has reached a crisis of governance.
This crisis does not emerge out of nowhere, but from the historical events that have unfolded in the university. It is our belief that since the year 2015, the year of Rhodes Must Fall and Fees Must Fall, the university has not been able to understand its role as a public university and its ethical duty to strive for a just society.
It is within that breath the event which will host Hofmeyr must be rejected with the harshness it deserves.
Hofmeyr has been unrepentant about racial remarks and is equally homophobic,” he said.
Earlier this year, Hofmeyr agreed to pay a R100 000 fine over comments he made about the LGBTQIA+ community in April last year, after being hauled before the Equality Court.
Sibonelo Ncanana, human rights co-ordinator for OUT LGBT Wellbeing – the LGBTQ organisation to which Hofmeyr had to apologise, said they were also concerned that he would be performing at UCT.
“It is shocking and alarming that a university of such a high stature would allow organisations, companies and individuals to continue giving such people a platform.
“They are either for or against something and can not hide behind who is the host. In general we feel like there is backtracking in Africa in lobbying for policy change,” said Ncanana.
Cape Times