WILGENHOF ASSOCIATION DEMANDS ACTION FROM UNIVERSITY, OR URGENT COURT ACTION WILL FOLLOW

20 September 2024

The Association for the Advancement of Wilgenhof Residents has today sent a letter of demand to Dr. Nicky Newton-King, Chair of the SU Council, as well as Prof. Deresh Ramjugernath, the Deputy Vice Chancellor: Learning and Teaching.

The letter requests that the university responds, within three business days, that:

• It will not implement the decision of 16 September to close Wilgenhof in 2025;
• That it will proceed with the allocation of current Wilgenhof residents to Wilgenhof for 2025, and will retract allocations to other residences;
• That it will retract their decision not to recognise the current House Committee (leadership); and
• That it will immediately proceed with allocations of first years to Wilgenhof for 2025.

If the requested undertaking is not given, the Association will approach the Western Cape High Court on an urgent basis to obtain an interdict to keep the residence open, as well as to have the decision to close the residence reviewed and set aside.

The Association represents parents and current Wilgenhof residents - a diverse group of all races, religions, creeds and orientations.

The current residents stand to suffer immense and irreparable harm should the residence be closed for an academic year. Scattering their community and destroying their support structures will have severe consequences on their academic, social, financial and psychological well-being.

Being placed in other residences is no substitute. The current residents have unfortunately been tainted by the completely unfounded findings of an investigative panel. They will be outsiders in other residences. They will inevitably have to obtain private accommodation, which is more expensive than a university residence, and for many simply unaffordable.

Furthermore, the closure of the residence will have detrimental impacts on the University community more broadly. There is a student housing crisis in Stellenbosch. Closing a residence with 200 beds will result in 200 students not finding a place to stay.

The decision made by the Council was also procedurally unfair, and it violates the contractual rights of the current residents and their parents and the University's own policies and guidelines.

The letter sent today also points out that the University pre-empted the final decision to close the residence. Certain actions by the University prior to the decision - such as communications on allocations, and the refusal to recognise the new House Committee - can only be interpreted as paving the way for a decision of closure.

The Council has advanced two reasons for taking the decision to close the residence in 2025:

• For upgrading to occur to comply with DHET's Policy on the Minimum Norms and Standards for Housing at Public Universities; and
• To make a definitive and deliberate break with the past and its practices, in order to ensure revisioning of values, its constitution, its disciplinary code and acceptable practices.

Both these reasons are flawed and unsound.

The Department of Higher Education and Training's Policy on the Minimum Norms provides that “any construction, maintenance or repairs must be carried out with minimum disruption to the academic programme and requirements of student residents”. Furthermore, the buildings were recently extensively renovated, while the students remained in the residence.

On making a decisive break with the past, the university incorrectly assumes that the current make-up and culture of Wilgenhof is irredeemable, and that the only way for the residence to be rejuvenated is for it to close. The current residents recognise the need for a facilitated process to be undertaken to shape a transformed residence. While the students and their parents believe that a healthy, respectful and diverse culture in Wilgenhof has already been established, the Association recognises that further reasonable and constructive changes will serve to improve Wilgenhof. It will also reinforce the notion that the Wilgenhof of today is not the Wilgenhof of yesteryear.

The young men of Wilgenhof are fully committed to engage meaningfully with all relevant stakeholders and bodies to ensure a fair process of renewal - one that does not trample the rights of students.

Statement issued by Noelani King Conradie, spokesperson for the Association for the Advancement of Wilgenhof Residents, 20 September 2024