Why #RhodesWar is Taking Over South Africa’s Narrative

Social media users in South Africa are decrying Rhodes University’s authoritarian action which has left two students banned from the university and may never complete their studies.

The two female students participated in an anti-rape protest at Rhodes University in Grahamstown in April 2016. This is according to SABC News radio.

For nearly two months last year, students at Rhodes protested calling for institutional change in how rape and sexual assault were dealt with.

In the same period, a list of suspected rapists went viral. A group of female students allegedly took matters into their hands and dragged four suspects out their dorm rooms.

On November 17, two student activists were found guilty of kidnapping, assault, defamation and insubordination, SABC reported.

Responding to SABC’s report which labeled the expulsion as the “harshest punishment in the university's history” the university said the "sanction had nothing to do with the students’ right to protest, but that their conduct went far beyond lawful boundaries and amounted to common law offences".

The students are said to be intending to challenge the guilty verdict and the sanction in court.

To show their support, local social media users have taken to social media to decry the harsh penalty under the #RhodesWar hashtag.