Speaking at the commission’s 20th anniversary conference at Gallagher Estate, Midrand, its chairman, Mabedle Mushwana, said the commission had received 168 racism-related complaints in the past few weeks.
Former commissioner Pansy Tlakula said that during her tenure she had found that racism was commonplace at universities.
She said that during the induction rituals at some universities new students were made to salute the statues of former white leaders.
Tlakula said: “Twenty years down the line, where are we? Racism is still a big problem at universities.
“The statues that the black students were expected to salute at that time have become symbols of resistance and gave rise to the Rhodes Must Fall campaign. Poverty and inequality are still prevalent in our society.”
But the commission’s perception is contradicted by a recent report by the Institute of Race Relations, which noted that race relations in South Africa were in a “good state”.
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The report, released last month, said that 76.2% of the South Africans surveyed felt that the quality of race relations was unchanged or had improved since 1994, and 85.4% of respondents agreed with the proposition that different race groups need each other. The report stated that only a minority of blacks and whites felt animosity to other racial groups.
In recent times, racial insults have been commonplace on social media and protests have raged at universities, with black students demanding that Afrikaans be eradicated as a language of instruction.
National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete said at yesterday’s conference that racism was a prevalent problem and that it and inequality were often linked.
“We don’t want to fuel the flames of the past but in order to move on we must talk about the issues that still confront us.
“The 2008 economic crisis and the unfolding economic crisis are undeniable factors that sharpen tensions in a competition for resources.”
Tlakula urged the commission to assess what measures recommended in the past have been effectively implemented.
HRC commissioner Leon Wessels said there was still a long way to go, and “there is no rest and no finish line”.
