NPR: Caught On Tape: S. African Students on the Attack

Caught On Tape: S. African Students on the Attack

A video depicting the abuse of five elderly black cleaners has sparked protests at a South African university.

The video shows four students from a white-only, male dorm at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein forcing the cleaners to partake in humiliating activities, including kneeling and eating food that had been urinated upon.

According to The Independent from the U.K.:

"The video was shot after the university announced a new integration policy on accommodation for its 18,500 students, ending the practice of black and white students living in separate digs."

It has been almost 14 years since the "official" end of apartheid, but what do you think needs to be done to mend the social divide between South African whites and blacks?

Do you think that these actions of a few college kids are indicative of a larger trend in South Africa? What about segregation (either institutional or social) on American college campuses?

Drew Tewksbury

Tags: South Africa | race

11:58 AM ET | 02-28-2008 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

Ah-h-h, the free State. Urban areas are what they are, however the rural areas have not changed very much. There are places where the farm owner is a law unto himself.
There is such a thing as post Apartheid stress syndrome. And South Africa has got it bad.

Sent by audiodramatist | 3:50 PM ET | 02-28-2008

This story saddens me deeply. Those kids who did that...I'm still amazed that they had the heart to conceive and carry it out. I bet you they used that video to brag and passed it around to their mates which probably led to it being found.

I hope they are remorseful for what they did, but somehow I won't be surprised if they aren't. How ironic it is that 28 students were arrested in relation to the protests but these students only got suspension

Sent by ceecee | 6:36 PM ET | 03-04-2008

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