Cape Town - The Stellenbosch University (SU) Senate has thrown its weight behind Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Wim de Villiers, and his management team despite a scathing ruling that the institution unfairly violated the human rights of Afrikaans-speaking students.
The Senate which consists of professors, the rector’s management team, two members of council and members of the Student Representative Council, permanent academic staff and administrative staff, recently adopted a motion of confidence in and support for De Villiers and his management team in their pursuit of “inclusivity and multilingualism” at SU on Friday
This comes after the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) found that the university through its residence policies, unfairly violated the human rights of the affected students, following a complaint by the DA and FF Plus in 2021, that students were being prevented from communicating in Afrikaans and were allegedly only permitted the use of English in certain residences.
Among the proposed remedial action included a public apology by De Villiers which he did but the DA said it was not good enough.
The motion was tabled by Professor Geo Quinot of the Faculty of Law and seconded by Professor Mbulungeni Madiba, Dean of the Faculty of Education.
It read: “Having noted the SAHRC [South African Human Rights Commission] report of March 14 and SU’s response to it, Senate affirms its confidence in and support of the Rector and Vice-Chancellor and his management team in their pursuit of inclusivity and multilingualism at SU.”
In motivating the motion, Professor Quinot submitted: “We as SU academic leaders are committed to multilingualism as set out by the SU Language Policy and indicated by the widespread implementation thereof by our university community.
“The non-compliance with, or incorrect implementation of, such policy by certain groups and/or individuals in specific contexts within the institution does not support a vote of non-confidence in the rector but rather supports
a) the continued reflection by the university community on how to best become an inclusive and multilingual institution where everyone’s rights are protected and promoted, and
b) support of management, including the rector, to realise an inclusive and multilingual community through effective and thoughtful implementation of relevant policies in a complex, diverse and large institution. Such collaborative pursuit would be appropriate to give effect to the constitutional responsibility to redress the wrongs of the past and the realisation of equality for all.”
In response, DA Constituency Head: Stellenbosch, Leon Schreiber, who is also an SU council member said the motion of no confidence which he put forward against the rector had been scheduled to be heard at the next council meeting.
“It is on the April 17 through this motion that De Villiers’ fate will be decided, everything else is meaningless theatre,” he said.
FF+ chief spokesperson for arts and culture, Heloïse Denner said: “The FF Plus is not convinced that a motion of no confidence is the answer or solution to the institutional problem of suppression of indigenous languages, like Afrikaans, at the university of Stellenbosch.
The recommendations made by the SAHRC are far more extensive than merely getting rid of the vice-chancellor and should in their totality be implemented.
“The fact that the Senate is supporting him, shows that an institution-wide approach is necessary.”
Cape Times