Fury as white SA student urinates on books and laptop of black student

Stellenbosch University in the Western Cape has come under fire after a video of a white student urinating on the computer and books of a black student went viral on social media.

The incident reportedly happened on Sunday, May 15 2022 around 04:00 at Huise Maria residence while the black first-year student was sleeping. 

An off-camera student asks him "why are you peeing in my room? The young man with short brown hair and a beige hooded jacket laconically replies "I'm waiting for someone", without interrupting what he is doing.

The university "strongly condemns this destructive, hurtful and racist incident," in a statement Monday.

The university announced that it had immediately suspended the first-year student, who was captured in the act.

"We are appalled by this type of behaviour," said vice-president Wim de Villiers. "No student has the right to violate the dignity or rights of another student in this way.

According to a student union, the victim was sleeping "when he heard a noise in his room".

"When he woke up, the racist white boy was urinating on his desk, books and laptop" and when questioned, "the racist response was that this is what we do to black boys", the Congress of South African Students said in a statement.

The university's student representatives - a white majority in a black-majority country - argued that the incident was representative of the "evil inflicted on minorities, namely black students here".

Protests broke out on campus on Monday, with students of all skin colours taking part.

In a new development, the family of a 20-year-old black student who was the victim of a suspected racial incident at the University say they will open a criminal case against the alleged perpetrator, local media reported on Tuesday.