Defaced Potch Pride flag to be restored

Members and friends of the Campus Pride Society will restore the Pride flag on the North-West University’s Potchefstroom site on 26 August after it was defaced during the weekend. Since its destruction, the flag has been covered up.

Louis Jacobs, NWU Director of Corporate Communication, says that the university management regards the act as vandalism and “condemned [it] in the strongest possible terms”. After it was reported to the management, Protection Services started an investigation, which has yet to bear fruit.  

Dr Corrie Rheeder, the Potchefstroom Campus Director for Student Life, is officially handling the matter.

The flag was originally painted in September 2019, emblematic of LGBTQ+ individuals being accepted and welcomed at the NWU. Campus Pride Society Chairperson MK regards its blight as “devastating” for the LGBTQ+ community and signalling growing queerphobia on the Potchefstroom campus.

“We’re clearly at a stage where students are becoming reactionary towards the LGBTQ+ community,” they said. “Although NWU management promotes a culture of inclusivity and acceptance, this is rarely the case in practice.”

MK emphasises the need for measures to ensure the safety of LGBTQ+ students. They believe this vandalism increases the risk of physical violence towards the LGBTQ+ community as queerphobic students are not trying to hide their prejudice.  

Jacobs trusts that the investigation will reveal the identity of the perpetrator/s. When a culprit is identified, the matter will be handled in terms of the student disciplinary rules of the NWU, and if they are found guilty, they will face consequences.

“We will not tolerate any action that is not in line with what the NWU stands for,” Jacobs says. “Members of the LGBTQIA+ community as well as all other students should always be aware that the NWU offers a place for all and will do everything in its power to ensure this.”

Jacobs says that students and staff are encouraged to report any incidents to be investigated properly.