Anti-Rhodes dialogue continues at UCT

CAPE TOWN -  Students at the University of Cape Town are continuing their call for the fall of the Cecil John Rhodes statue on campus.

On Wednesday morning, a new hashtag #RhodesSoWhite emerged in a form of posters around campus, accompanied by statements citing racial privilege.

On March 9, a group of students poured sewage over the statue in protest against what some have interpreted as white ignorance of black strife.

The group claiming to represent black South Africans said they were trying to create debate and awareness on how black people are treated at the university.

The protest grew over the past week, with students and even some lecturers joining it.

The call was extended to universities around the country to disassociate themselves from Rhodes with the claim he was an oppresor of black people from across the continent.

On Tuesday, the Economic Freedom Fighters threw its weight behind the call by UCT students for Rhodes' removal.

"Rhodes can never be a symbol worth celebrating in a post-1994 South Africa," national spokesman Mbuyiseni Ndlozi said in a statement.

"The EFF is not opportunistically raising the issue of Rhodes due to the momentum of students' and academics' demand."

Ndlozi said the EFF had consistently called for the removal of symbols of colonialism and white supremacy.

RhodesSoWhite has evolved into a Twitter hashtag. Along with it are statements in which students claim black people at the university are still regarded as inferior.