Top of the Vox: #RhodesMustFall, bumper edition

“The statue is part of our history and if it means we are honouring colonisers, then so be it. If it made people racist or brought back apartheid then I would certainly care. Right now, it’s just a monument that represents our history and we can’t run away from where we come from.”
Earlier this week we spoke to students at UKZN about the King George V statue on Howard campus, and found many of them weren’t all that fussed. However, this was before the statue was defaced on Wednesday night.

Must-read, this week
The #RhodesMustFall movement continues to grow and we’ve got all angles covered. If you need to catch up on the fast-moving events, grab a coffee, find a comfy chair, and read on… What went down at the UCT transformation assembly. The sit-in at Azania House. Should colonial statues have an expiry date? UCT’s transformation problems are bigger than the statue. The power relations of the statue’s placement. Is the Rhodes University brand really different to Cecil’s? And will the university ever be renamed? How students are reclaiming their voices. Why Oxford students are standing in solidarity. What political parties think. What Gareth Cliff & co think. What Juju thinks. Phew! What are your views? We’d love to hear from you – especially if you’re a lecturer or student at a South African university.

Don’t miss
Durban author ZP Dala was attacked last week, after mentioning that she was a fan of Salman Rushdie’s. While some organisations have tried to victim-blame her, messages of support have been pouring in. If you’d like to add your name to the open letter, let us know.

ZP Dala: The pen is mightier than the brick

Human Rights Day coverage
In case you’ve forgotten already, last Saturday was Human Rights day, in memory of the Sharpeville massacre. But are such occasions about the past or our future? Philip Kgosana, who led the protests in Langa, shares his memories in a moving photo essay. Meanwhile, people continue to be excluded from public spaces in developments like Maboneng. Have we learned anything since Sharpeville?

Weekend special
Your teenage daughter/little sister has locked herself in her room and you don’t know why. All you can hear are her heart-wrenching sobs. It may just be because Zayn Malik has left boy band One Direction. Shame, we remember what it was like to be a teen fangirl – give her a hug from us!

Weekly hangout: Max Price
The Daily Vox managing editor Faranaaz Parker sat down with UCT vice chancellor Max Price (virtually, anyway!) to talk institutional racism, transformation, and the statue that started it all. What, you didn’t catch it live? No worries, it’s all captured on this video.

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– Featured image: By Safiyyah Patel.