Debate her views but do not burn her at the stake

2026-03-03 - 03:03

You would have to be heartless not to feel a modicum of compassion for professor Srila Roy, the erstwhile head of the sociology department at the University of the Witwatersrand. Last week, she write on X: “South Africans have little ambition, are complacent, and have a poor work ethic.” By the weekend, effigies of her were being burnt on social media, her own academics were in a lather demanding she step down and a parliamentary portfolio committee was leading the mobs demanding her head. Not one person is actually looking at the merits of what she said. Instead, it’s all about who she is, a non-South African at a premier South African university. But if identity is key to having a view, not one of us should emote on the tragedy in Gaza, Ukraine or Sudan, but that’s never stopped us. ALSO READ: Srila Roy resigns as head of sociology department at Wits after ‘offensive’ remarks If being an immigrant was a barrier to South African discourse, we wouldn’t have the country we live in now, which was built because of the rich infusion of talent across every aspect of South African life that has benefitted all of us. But, most importantly, if we aren’t allowed to say what’s on our minds, with the obvious exception of fomenting racial hatred or inciting the unlawful overthrow of a democratically elected government, then we betray the legacy of those who bequeathed us the legacy that so many of us have tried so hard to squander for the last 30 years. Roy offered a throwaway remark that even at first blush has more than a little truth in it, given the universal experiences of the immigrant diasporas that exist from Aggenys to Zeerust, all of whom are doing jobs that many South Africans would turn their noses up at. It’s not unique to South Africa. The US and the UK are no different – and there is no debate either that some Brits and Yanks are indeed bereft of ambition, complacent and downright lazy. Roy was immediately accused of being racist, but she wasn’t, because she accused all South Africans. ALSO READ: Wits professor investigated for comments about South Africans’ ‘poor work ethic’ She is entitled to her view, to reflect her lived reality as an outsider, especially when you look at how South Africa treats its immigrants, particularly Africans, post 1994. Indeed, the wholly disproportionate reaction to her post would suggest that she struck a nerve. Let’s debate what she said, rationally. Not burn her at the stake for holding up a mirror.