UCT is again coming under fire on social media after a lecturer took to Facebook to criticise women for the #MenAreTrash movement, and confessing to having thoughts about raping his two-year-old daughter.
UPDATE: UCT chooses not to suspend lecturer after #MenAreTrash Facebook post
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The post, published by chemical engineering lecturer Arthur Mabentsela, suggested that men should not be blamed if women couldn’t “attract and retain a quality man”.
“It was not me who said open your legs to a f**k boy,” the rant continued.
The post, along with a reply to a comment on said post, was screenshot by a UCT student and reposted to Twitter on Monday afternoon.
This is what a uct lecturer in the engineering department had to say about the ‘men are trash’ movement. Wow bethuna pic.twitter.com/mzBk0aZSgG
— Pettyswa
(@Black_wxmxn) August 14, 2018
The post soon garnered over 1300 retweets and 270 comments.
‘When I was depressed I had thoughts of raping my own 2 yr old. I wanted to kill her’
Respondents on Twitter were quick to label Mabentsela as “disgusting” and a “disgrace”. Others turned their thoughts towards the well-being of his infant daughter.
What did I just read?????
— Word Nerd
(@tafaramav) August 14, 2018
Disgusting
— JustNqaba (@JustNqaba) August 14, 2018
The authorities need to take that child as far away as possible from this vile man
— The Virtuoso (@_AmeliaEarhart_) August 14, 2018
In light of the post, UCT announced that a “formal pre-suspension hearing” had been called.
“We have introduced due process to look into the matter and we will ensure the matter is properly investigated and dealt with,” the university added in the statement.
“The content of the post is grave, unacceptable and disturbing, and completely out of alignment with UCT values.”
UCT became aware this morning of the social media post made by a UCT staff member on his personal Facebook page. This post was shared with several people & soon attracted a negative reaction from different quarters on social media. Read the full statement. pic.twitter.com/TntrUIJlqi
— UCT (@UCT_news) August 14, 2018
The inflammatory post comes days after protests at Rhodes University in the Eastern Cape after Khensani Maseko, a student at the university who was raped, committed suicide.
Feature image: Ian Barbour via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped)
