"We should not be surprised about the turbulence on campuses now, but neither should we be alarmed. South Africa is still a society in transition and change is always difficult, but it's the right thing to do and greater diversity is an absolute requirement for excellence."
This was the message of Stellenbosch University Rector and Vice-Chancellor Prof Wim de Villiers to new student leaders on Wednesday night (26 August 2015). He was speaking at a scheduled event at Academia Residence soon after the conclusion of "election season" on campus when students get to elect new representatives on such structures as the Student Representative Council, house committees, Societies Council and the Academic Affairs Council. (Click here for a video of the Rector's speech, and here for a PDF copy.)
Prof De Villiers said we should not be surprised at what is happening on campuses because the legacy of South Africa's past "is still with us – the inequality and poverty and unemployment."
"The other reason why we should not be surprised is that we are 20 years into our democracy now and the 'born frees' are coming of age – that's you guys," he said to the audience.
"You are now old enough to think for yourselves, to see the problems around you. But at the same time you are young enough to want to do something about it, you have the energy to do it.
"So not surprised, but neither should we be alarmed. Change is always difficult. Actually, if it does not make us uncomfortable, we are not doing it right."
He said he found the Luister video released on social media last week "extremely uncomfortable to watch" because "I don't enjoy knowing that some of my students on campus have negative experiences."
He acknowledged that the video "raises very important issues" and contains "valid lived experiences," and although it had "some flaws" he said he was "not going to defend the indefensible – racism, discrimination, human rights violations, exclusion, marginalisation."
"This is wrong; end of story. Except, whatever's wrong must be fixed. And we are attempting to do that. Stellenbosch University has been in a process of transformation for a long time, but we have not done enough yet."
However, "I also am not going to tolerate the unacceptable – disruption, hate speech, violence, destruction of property … by whomever. Because these things are also wrong and we will act against it. But we are not victimising anyone, and I am certainly not silencing protest. Because students should be critical – that is the nature of the open discussion."
On the issue of language of tuition, Prof De Villiers explained: "Last year in November, Council made a policy decision to put English and Afrikaans on equal footing as languages of tuition. Now it is being implemented. Many courses are already offered fully either in English or Afrikaans. Other classes might be bilingual. Or there is a simultaneous interpreting service. And as has been the case for a long time, most text books are in English, and one can write assignments, tests and exams in English.
"There are problems with implementation – we acknowledge that. We have task teams that are investigating, and have issued an open invitation to all to raise these issues with us. We have received and are investigating proposals from the SRC, Open Stellenbosch and many other stakeholders. And we will report back to campus and Council about what we find, and how we can make things better."
But I want to debunk the fallacy which equates the mere presence of Afrikaans with racism. Parallels are being drawn between Stellenbosch University today and Soweto in 1976. There is a huge difference. In 1976 Afrikaans was imposed on school learners as part of a system of state discrimination, as part of apartheid. In 2015, we have a democratic Constitution in place, with a Bill of Rights, enshrining the values of human dignity, equality and freedom.
"Let me quote from it: 'Everyone has the right to receive education in an official language of their choice in public educational institutions.' But there are two qualifications – "where reasonably practicable", which is what we are trying to do, and that 'access' may not be restricted, hence we are also using English."
He said Stellenbosch was becoming "much more diverse".
"It is interesting to note that when Madiba was released in 1990, there were less than 1 000 black, coloured and Indian students on campus. Now we have more than 11 000 – nearly 38% of the student body, up from 31% in 2008 as we head for 50% by 2020.
"Diversity is an absolute requirement for excellence, because it exposes us to a variety of people and ideas, which broadens the mind and enriches us. That is our vision – to become more inclusive. We want to be more welcoming.
"So, we need to open Stellenbosch University even more, let us have open discussions, let us be open to change – let us all take 100% for the change we want to see because it is a collective duty we have. We are all 100% responsible for this."
- Click here for a video of the Rector's speech.
- Click here for a PDF copy.
