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Pretoria - Two University of Pretoria students will face disciplinary action after a photo of the two dressed up as black domestic workers went viral.
The photo shows the two women covered in brown paint, wearing scarves over their heads and with pillows stuffed into their skirts to make their buttocks look bigger.
The pictures were taken at a private party but the university told Eyewitness News that disciplinary action will be instituted against the students because they allegedly brought the institution’s name into disrepute.
The photos were posted on Facebook but were soon removed.
The incident comes just days after the SA Human Rights Commission said that there had been a spike in racism related incidents, particularly at universities around the country.
"The SAHRC remains deeply concerned about the lack of transformation taking place in South African society 20 years into its democratic dispensation," SAHRC chairperson Lawrence Mushwana said.
In most cases, black students were targeted, Sapa reported.
"There had been an increase in the 'k' word [being used] where there is not sufficient respect for each other among students."
The Tuks incident has caused a storm on social media with many asking what the big deal is.
@barrybateman can we not get over ourselves and chill out, not everything is about racism, perhaps no insult was intended
— Rory (@rampantrory) August 6, 2014#blackface maybe because I didn't grow up around rascism I don't see it in something like this
— Tawana (@TawanaRandall) August 6, 2014
Others offended by the dress-up say the incident is a case of ‘blackface’ in which white people dress up and paint themselves black and mock black people by acting out certain stereotypes.
This #blackface thing gon make me catch a case! When will white folk stop degrading black people! First we're dogs, spat on and now this!
— Leroy Marc (@_Leroy_Marc) August 6, 2014@barrybateman overt racism, with a long history in South Africa, that even predates Leon Schuster https://t.co/RpjeDxZd9T
— Africa is a Country (@AfricasaCountry) August 6, 2014
