Stellenbosch university will not celebrate the last 100 years but will rather commemorate them, said SU Rector and Vice-Chancellor Wim de Villiers.
De Villiers was speaking at the annual “Homecoming” event, which coincides with the official opening of Woordfees.
“The university was built in a specific context and time and we need to be mindful of that. We are regretful of the role the university played in the injustices of the past,” said De Villiers. “But now we must be a better university and focus on the future,” he added.
“The university was founded in a certain historical and language context,” he continued. “We’ve moved on now. We are now a multilingual, inclusive university that is world class. That is in and for Africa.”
In 2015, de Villiers started the Die Vlakte bursary scheme for descendants of Die Vlakte – an area that used to adjoin the town centre and partially overlapped SU. Coloured people, who were living at Die Vlakte were removed as part of the Group Areas Act. This was an attempt by De Villiers to redress some of the injustices of the past.
De Villiers says more effort on correcting past injustices needs to take place. PHOTO: Henk Oets
“We need to be aware of the history and the injustices that were perpetrated and I think the Die Vlakte bursary scheme is one example of doing that. It has been successful and we need to do more of that.”
The “Homecoming” which was initiated by de Villiers is now in its third year and he says it is an opportunity for Alumni to reconnect with the university and share in its many achievements.
During his address, De Villiers also spoke about the numbers that make the university unique and special. “We have 10 faculties, 32 000 students, 300 staff members and five campuses. You can look at this in different levels, such as the number of degrees we award – last year we recorded 8 500 qualifications. This is testament to our commitment to produce sought after, productive graduates,” he added.