Sam van Etten- South African Sexual Assault

Protests
Sexual Assault Protests in South Africa
Sam van Etten
When one is considering studying abroad in South Africa, the study abroad office will likely tell
you about the universitys wonderful journalism program, the wonderful people you will meet
and the beauty of the world around you. What they might forget to mention, however, is that the
nation of South Africa has a serious sexual assault problem. There are roughly 147 cases of
reported rape every day, and the South African Police Service (SAPS) acknowledges that the
majority of sexual assaults in South Africa go unreported. On Sunday, April 17th, students at
Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa began protesting the culture of patriarchy and
sexual assault that exists both at universities like Rhodes and the country as a whole. As a
resident of a small New Hampshire town studying at Rhodes, I can honestly say I have never
experienced anything like these protests.
The events of the past week were largely triggered by the release of the RU Reference list: a list
of eleven alleged rapists who had received no punishment from the university which was posted
anonymously on Facebook. This list quickly began trending on Twitter, and it did not take long
for students to begin protesting at outside of the residences where several other alleged rapists
stay, calling for those whose names appear on the list to come out and face judgement. My
residence was one of those on the list, and when protesters broke into my house screaming and
chasing people I had no idea what to do. I eventually settled on the extremely manly option of
hiding in my friends room.
Beginning on Monday, protesters also took to marching into and shutting down classes. Over the
course of the next couple days the hunt for alleged rapists was abandoned. Protesters focused
their efforts on raising awareness, encouraging participation and blocking the main road in/out of
campus. Tensions with university management grew considerably in this two-day period, perhaps
climaxing when Vice-Chancellor Sizwe Mabizela got caught on video attempting to push a
protester off of the bucket she was sitting on.
The events on Wednesday started when protesters were met by the Grahamstown Police Force,
armed with guns and tear gas, who were attempting to shut the protest down because of the

Sam van Etten- South African Sexual Assault

Protests
protesters presence on public roads. Things quickly escalated, and before long the Police were
firing blanks, rubber bullets and tear gas at protesting students. Five students were also arrested,
one of whom had a panic attack in the Police van and received no medical assistance. People
back home might not have heard the sounds of screams and gunshots. I assure you, theyre
terrifying.
After the events on Wednesday, many staff members joined the protests, providing a jolt of
much-needed positivity and guidance to a furious student body. Unfortunately, the University
also issued an Interdict, allowing police to come on campus and arrest protestors at will. Despite
this, protests continued on Thursday and Friday, with students singing, marching and peacefully
raising awareness about the issues. I participated as best I could, bearing in mind that I would be
deported if I got arrested.
Dr. Mabizela and Rhodes management held a meeting the next day, addressing both student
demands and larger concerns about the way management had handled the events of the previous
week. While the sentiment about needing to persecute rapists and address rape culture at Rhodes
was inspiring and exciting, the lack of actions taken by management at this meeting was, again,
disappointing. Students were informed that he Interdict would not be lifted despite a lack of
violence on the part of the students, and management was unable to provide a satisfactory
explanation for the actions of two prominent professors who stood behind police while students
were fired upon, gassed and arrested, seemingly without just cause. I should mention I was not
present for this conference, and am relying on accounts from friends.
Despite poor support from management and an extreme show of force from the police, protesters
have continued fighting for their cause. Its almost impossible to have a conversation at Rhodes
University this week that doesnt involve sexual assault, and this level of awareness is not
something to scoff at. Real change is in the air in South Africa, and as a small-town kid from
Warner, I feel blessed to simply be present.