Committee calls for dismissal of Professor after controversial social media remarks

THE Portfolio Committee on Higher Education and Training has called for the dismissal of Professor Srila Roy, the head of the Sociology Department at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), following a controversial social media post in which she criticised what she described as South Africans!

- HOPE NTANZI [e-mail]

"poor work ethic.“South Africans have little ambition, are complacent, and have a poor work ethic,” she said.

The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee, Tebogo Letsie, condemned Professor Roy’s remarks as “unacceptable,” adding that they were “offensive, derogatory, and undermined the dignity of many South Africans.”

He emphasised that such views should have no place in higher education, particularly from someone in a leadership position, such as a head of department.

“These statements reflect deeply troubling views that cannot simply be overlooked,” Letsie said.