Stellenbosch University’s executive management has agreed to close the Wilgenhof residence following reports of torture and abuse at the 120-year-old male student accommodation. The decision will take effect at the end of the 2024 academic year, pending approval by the university council.
Vice-Chancellor and Rector Professor Wim de Villiers said alternative uses for the Wilgenhof buildings will be considered during 2025.
The university appointed a three-member panel to investigate the conditions at Wilgenhof after media reports revealed acts of humiliation, torture, and physical and sexual abuse as part of initiation and punishment practices. The panel found that a room known as “Hool 88” was used by the residence disciplinary committee, called “Nagligte” (night lights), to punish students during late-night hours. Another room, “Toe Argief,” stored records, memorabilia, and paraphernalia, including Ku Klux Klan-like hoods, hangman costumes, and shoes worn by the disciplinary committee.
Photographs taken during a surprise audit, leaked to the media, showed evidence of abuse dating back over a century, with records as recent as 2023.
The panel criticized the university’s management for immediately removing and sanitizing the rooms before consulting students, calling it a “lost opportunity” to address the implications of the findings in an inclusive process.
Notable former Wilgenhof residents include retail magnate Christo Wiese, retired Constitutional Court judge Edwin Cameron, and the late Steinhoff executive Markus Jooste.
Professor de Villiers will recommend the closure to the university council at its meeting on 24 June 2024.
