It was five months ago when an 18-year-old man was caught on camera allegedly masturbating on the stretch floor of the Virgin Active in Stellenbosch. Now again, a new alleged offender has been caught on camera this time at the Stellenbosch University (SU) library.
Tuesday afternoon, 29 October, an elderly gentleman was escorted off university premises by Campus Security after complaints were made regarding his possible act of public indecency. Following the incident, videos of the man began to surface online. It depicted him sitting at a library study desk, seemingly reading a newspaper while, making questionable hand motions in his lap.
Senior communications specialist for SU, Desmond Thompson, says that the university is aware of the video circling social media and that they are “investigating the incident as a matter of urgency”.
Mazita Ndwana, a 22-year old actuarial science student, remembers seeing the man while grabbing lunch with a friend in the Neelsie, a student centre not far from the library.
“The reason I remember him is because I remember looking at the haircut and thinking his haircut looks just like someone I know – a staff member – but then I looked at him and he was a little slimmer than the staff member,” she says.
Ndwana says she no longer feels safe on campus. Referring to the case of the man in the library she says “in such a scenario sexual predators don’t have a face and this was an old man who I saw in the Neelsie and thought agh, he looks like an older staff member that I know”. Ndawana continues “next thing I know, I see him in a video so vile and I’m just thinking how many are there around our campus?”.
SU Chief Operating Officer, Professor Stan du Plessis says that “while we are working urgently to confirm all the facts in this case, I want to reassure our students that their safety is our priority. I also want to repeat the University’s previous statements that we condemn sexual misconduct of any kind, and are actively working to counter gender-based violence”.
The SU library is a facility open to the public. Entrance is allowed to anyone who signs in as a visitor. The only limitation being that visitors are not allowed to sign out books. Thompson confirms this is how the man gained access to the library.
Head of Corporate Communication at Stellenbosch Police Station, Captain Natalie Martin, states that there has yet to be any charges laid.
Stellenbosch University (SU) has made headlines for all the wrong reasons this year. Here is a timeline tracking the major news stories involving SU since the case of public indecency at Virgin Active.