UFS renames infamous Reitz, four other residences at campus

More than a decade after becoming the scene of an infamous video in which black workers were tormented by white students, Reitz is among the five residences that the University of the Free State (UFS) has renamed at its Bloemfontein campus.

It will now be known as Toa Mageuzi, a Kiswahili phrase meaning towards progression, evolution or transformation.

The UFS announced the name changes on Thursday,

Reitz became infamous in 2008 when white students – later known as the Reitz Four – plunged South African race relations into crisis after they made an “initiation” video which showed five black workers being forced to eat food that appeared to be soaked in urine at the hall of residence.

Although the UFS did not make any reference to the incident, it said the move to rename some of its buildings was necessary to “express the university’s commitment to courageously grapple with its shared past, present and future”.

The university said it was looking to become “an institution where its diverse people feel a sense of common purpose and where the symbols and spaces, systems and daily practices all reflect a commitment to openness and engagement”.

“It is in this context that the names and symbols of all 36 residences on the Bloemfontein campus have been reviewed to ensure that the institutional culture and spaces contribute to an inclusive sense of belonging,” UFS rector and vice-chancellor Professor Francis Petersen said, adding the process was started in 2021 through the university’s naming committee.

The institution said the changes were informed by its naming and renaming policy, which “recognises that the names bestowed on its assets must sustain a harmonious balance between descriptive functions, the university’s origins, the rich history and heritage of the UFS, and the constitutionally democratic society it is designed to serve”.

“The renaming process of the five residences included a variety of activities, all of which focused on building and implementing an engagement and consultation process with the various stakeholders and role player communities,” Petersen said.

The UFS said during the renaming process, an important approach was to balance the social justice and multilingual agenda of the university.

Therefore, the new names reflect not only some of the languages mainly spoken at the UFS – English, Sesotho, Afrikaans, and isiZulu – but also languages such as isiXhosa, Kiswahili and the use of a name that recognises the Khoisan heritage of the Free State.

Here are the name changes approved by the UFS council during its meeting on 25 November:

“The renaming process is an important milestone for the UFS as it symbolises and celebrates the courage and vision of the university community for its commitment to transformation and for participating in a process which aims at producing a names and symbols environment in which all can experience belonging,” Petersen said. – Staff Reporter