attacked student still fears police

By Mashilo Mnisi (Editor of BtM)

SOUTH AFRICA – September 22, 2006: OutRhodes – a Rhodes University gay and lesbian society, believes that police still loathe and ill-treat homosexuals.

This came in the wake of a jostle between Brynley Coetzee who is the OutRhodes entertainment officer, and two students – where Coetzee was kicked and took the matter to the university disciplinary committee.

Coetzee conceded that the tussle ensued after one of the two students told him that he was undressing other male students in the foyer through his eyes since he was gay, and that he continued to call him faggot.

Although President of OutRhodes Paula Chowles believes the case wasn’t handled properly by not reaching police, Cotzee on the contrary said; “I want to deal with it (the matter) internally so that I teach them to understand gay life. I will take them to gay parties.”

He criticized police saying that men’s cases are not taken seriously especially when they are gay. “I have this fear for the police because nothing gets done”, he admits.

Cotzee whimpered that one of the students was acquitted of his delinquency because there wasn’t anybody to testify before the disciplinary committee judge that the student in fact called him (Coetzee) faggot.

But the other student, who kicked Coetzee, was found guilty on charges of insulting and torturing. “He is serving 40 hours (for which 20 was suspended), but doing 20 hours of community work at the university”, Coetzee asserts.

According to Coetzee, the university community in general was on his side that included the Vice-Chancellor on the matter.