Wilgenhof house of horrors: 'How can this be in the 2020s?'

A 69-year-old former Wilgenhof student has shared with News24 the disturbing rituals he endured during the initiation process when he was at the Stellenbosch University residence.

Recounting the events, he described how he and fellow students were abruptly pulled from their beds at midnight by hooded men, forcibly taken to 'Hool 88', and subjected to punishment, including sexual assault with a brush.

Reflecting on the traumatic experiences, he acknowledged feeling violated, stating, "By doing what they did, they raped me in a sense, albeit it may sound foolish to say."

Unfortunately, this was just one of the unsettling initiation practices he claims to have witnessed at Wilgenhof during his first year in 1973.

Additional punishments involved consuming a mixture of linseed oil and aloe crystals, resulting in many first-years vomiting.

They were also restricted from using regular toilets and were made to walk on their knees until they bled.

Expressing the lasting impact of these ordeals, the former student emphasised, "These experiences have scarred me in ways I don't understand".

He concluded by asserting, "There can be no place at Stellenbosch University for any practice or behaviour that belittles, degrades or exerts undue power over anyone".

These revelations follow News24's uncovering of disturbing information about Wilgenhof, the university's oldest residence.