Cape Town – There has been a huge backlash against a decision by the Stellenbosch University (SU) to close the Wilgenhof student residence, following a report on initiation practices at the residence.
In a statement under the guidance of Theo de Jager, the president of the SU Convocation, they said the decision should be part of the vote as it was somewhat of an attack on their Afrikaans heritage and culture.
“New convocation management wants a poll on Wilgenhof. Although the decision of the rectorate of the University of Stellenbosch to recommend to the council to close Wilgenhof at the end of 2024 comes as a shock and a disappointment to the convocation management, it is no surprise.
“The rectorate's reputation of hostility towards tradition, heritage and Afrikaans has already been strongly condemned in the SA Human Rights
Commission judgment against SU, and contributes to a track record of overreaction and indiscriminate decisions.
“The newly elected convocation management, which has been given a very strong mandate to protect and promote Afrikaans and traditional values at the university, proposes that a real-time poll be launched on a digital platform to gather the members of the convocation's opinions about the rectorate to test his decision.” The report follows social media and the media's exposure of the initiation “chamber of horrors” at the 120-year-old men's residence.
One shocking image was that of Ku Klux Klan-like hoods and drawings of men involved in violent sexual acts.
Former students also shared their horror stories with the Weekend Argus, one being constitutional law expert Pierre de Vos, an alumnus and former resident at Wligenhof who spoke out at the time but declined this week to speak about the end of the residence.
He told of how they had to dress in black hoods during a ceremony of the Nagligte and would be ordered to undress and march into a dark room and given a concoction to drink, then beuing daubed with black paint as a punishment.
According to the 151-page report, some of the items found were masks, hoods, muzzles, a coffin without a lid, two belts, a photograph dated 1957 which shows a naked man standing on the shoulders of others, another of naked men from the front and back, initiation files, initiation art, various powdered substances, 12 Nagligte attire, several robes, a tombstone, etc.
The panel was chaired by an advocate from the Cape Bar, assisted by a former experienced university executive in higher education, and the deputy registrar for governance, ethics and compliance at SU.
Those against the closure have called on alumni to participate in the poll. The council is set to consider the rector's recommendations at its meeting on June 24.