Alumni slams Stellies management for turning Wilgenhof debacle into institutional crisis
Wilgenhof's residence made headlines throughout the year after disturbing items related to past initiation practices were found in its archives.
The Wilgenhof residence at Stellenbosch University. Picture: Facebook/WilgenhofResidence
CAPE TOWN - The Wilgenhof alumni say the actions of Stellenbosch University's management and council this past year have turned the Wilgenhof debacle into an institutional crisis.
Wilgenhof residence made headlines throughout the year after disturbing items related to past initiation practices were found in its archives.
An independent panel appointed to probe any wrongdoings handed a report to the university council for Wilgenhof to be closed.
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The report led the university council to make a decision to close Wilgenhof for refurbishment in 2025.
Chancellor and former Constitutional Court Justice Edwin Cameron then produced evidence that the rector, Wim de Villiers, and the council's chair, Nicky Newton-King, altered the report before it was handed to the university council.
The university council has since cleared de Villers and Newton-King of wrongdoing.
The Wilgenhof Alumni Association says it will be approaching the courts to remedy the situation.
"When the Wilgenhof report didn't give the answers they wanted, the rector and council chair simply decided it should be amended... Council's inaction will have severe and lasting consequences."
The university has indicated Wilgenhof should be refurbished by mid-year in 2025.