Wilgenhof Alumni looks forward to engage with university on residence’s future
25 June 2024
The Wilgenhof Alumni Association welcomes the decision by the Stellenbosch University (SU) Council to allow for an open and fair process regarding the future of the Wilgenhof men’s residence. The SU Council yesterday postponed making a final decision on the proposed closure of the residence and agreed that further consultation and consideration is necessary.
Since the release of a substantially flawed report recommending the closure of the residence two weeks ago, we have expressed our profound misgivings about the report to the management and Council of SU, as ultimately it would be irrational to take a decision of such consequence based on incorrect or misleading findings. We have consistently called for a fair and thorough process during which all stakeholders, including current and former residents, can be given a proper chance to be heard. It is clear, up to this point, that many of these viewpoints have not been properly heard and considered.
The Alumni Association therefore welcomes the call for further submissions. All affected and interested parties are now invited by the SU to comment on the implications of the possible closure of the residence, as well as whether alternatives to the closure should be considered.
The report that was before the Council yesterday was filled with unsubstantiated and often sweeping claims, as well as factual errors. The three authors of the report accepted sensational media coverage as objective truth and did not offer a sound evidentiary basis for the finding that the closure of Wilgenhof is the only option.
If Council had voted to endorse such a flawed report, it would have set a very dangerous precedent by which any activities could be subject to extreme sanction on the basis of little to no evidence of harm, without allowing due process to be followed.
Wilgenhof is not a place of “white supremacy” as the report sensationally claims. To claim that it honours the Ku Klux Klan and Nazism is absurd. The report established an inaccurate image of Wilgenhof in the public. This has caused serious distress among former and current residents.
The Wilgenhof Alumini are committed to participating in processes that help deal with South Africa’s complex and painful past – something which we have always been more than prepared to do as, evidenced by the fact that during the initial investigation earlier this year, the Alumni Association made submissions to the panel, including an apology for any harm caused during its 121-year history. The pain suffered by past residents and students, and that the retelling of such experiences was received as distressing by alumni and the university community, was also rightly acknowledged.
The Alumni Association itself has also been engaged in a process of cultural renewal at the residence since 2021, of which SU was supportive. Wilgenhof’s culture places an emphasis on making all students feel welcome. It fosters community, individualism, critical thinking, and respect.
The Alumni Association commits to fully participating in the process ahead in good faith and with a view to finding solutions that are in the best interest of the University and the communities that it serves.
Issued by Jaco Rabie, Wilgenhof Alumni Association, 25 June 2024
