DA calls for suspension of homophobic KZN lecturers

The Democratic Alliance says that the two lecturers who allegedly verbally abused and threw out a gay student in Umlazi must be suspended.

Last week, 20-year-old Bheka Khanyile revealed that he had been victimised at Coastal College in Umlazi because of his sexual orientation.

Cllr Martin Meyer, DA EThekwini Councillor, said that he had met with Khanyile, and that the office administration student is still traumatised by the incident.

Khanyile claims that the lecturers had harassed him since starting his studies last year. “I always had a problem from the beginning,” Khanyile told The Mamba Show on GaySA Radio.

“She was mocking me in class every single day. She called me names… like I’m a ‘stabane’, I’m a ‘fag'”.

Khanyile said that last week one of the lecturers finally refused to teach him because he wore braids and makeup. “She said, ‘I can’t teach you,’ and I walked out.”

He said that despite reporting the problem to the SRC and receiving an informal apology, the matter was treated by college officials as “a joke”.

“I’m not happy with the outcome because they are going to repeat this to somebody else,” insisted Khanyile, who said that another homosexual student was also targeted. Khanyile added that he wants the lecturers “out of the school”.

“We believe that lecturers who victimise students for reasons of their sexual orientation should be suspended pending thorough investigation into the matter,” commented Meyer.

The DA and DA Student Organisation planned to meet with the Coastal College campus manager to ask for the suspensions to be put in place, and for a timeline for the completion of an investigation report.

“South Africa belongs to us all, and there is no place for such discrimination in our country,” said Meyer.

According to East Coast Radio, the two lecturers are now being formally investigated over the discrimination claims.

“The educators will be disciplined and given warnings,” said College spokesperson Sinegugu Zuma. “If it comes out that they actually said whatever the learner is alleging that they said – they’ll have to issue an apology.”