News24.com | Pressure mounts on Stellenbosch vice-chancellor to resign as motion of no confidence looms

Stellenbosch University rector and vice-chancellor, Professor Wim de Villiers.

• Stellenbosch University's convocation has thrown its weight behind a pending vote of no confidence its rector and vice-chancellor, Wim de Villiers.
• On Friday, the convocation called on De Villiers and the university's registrar to resign before next week's council meeting. 
• This as De Villiers faces mounting pressure following allegations of violating the university's policy on admission and nepotism.  

Stellenbosch University's convocation has called on the university's vice-chancellor and rector, Wim de Villiers, to resign before the next council meeting next week. 

The convocation adopted a motion of no confidence in De Villiers following allegations of nepotism that emerged over the last few weeks. 

The motion was adopted on Friday morning during a meeting of the executive committee of the university's convocation.

It calls for De Villiers and the registrar to resign before the council's meeting, which is expected to take place on Monday.

"The executive committee of the Stellenbosch University [SU] convocation requests that the rector and the registrar of SU resign from their respective positions in view thereof that they are apparently not able to deny their involvement in a serious instance of nepotism, and that such behaviour is particularly unacceptable given the extreme levels of corrupt leadership in our country," the motion read. 

The committee added in the event De Villiers failed to resign from his position before the meeting of the council, it was requested - in accordance with the demands of ethical leadership, governance, and the best interests of the university - to take the appropriate steps.

Last week, reports emerged De Villiers used his discretionary right to secure a place for Charlie Linnegar, the nephew of his wife, Catherine.

This came to light when an applicant with better matric marks did not get accepted to the same course.

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Earlier this week, News24 reported a second family member was placed at the university without De Villiers disclosing it to the council. 

While no details of the second family member have been revealed, the council's acting chairperson, Nicky Newton-King, sent an internal circular to staff last week confirming the admission of a second relative under the discretionary programme.  

The university's admission policy states a rector may, after consultation with the deans, request students be allowed to study a "mainstream or extended degree programme".

The university previously said in a statement De Villiers maintained "though he acted in good faith and consistent with the current guidelines, he acknowledges and regrets the turmoil that the publicised incident has caused".

He is scheduled to face a motion of no confidence during a council meeting over the placement saga.

The nepotism allegations against him come hot on the heels of a scathing report from the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), which found students at the university were being prevented from communicating in Afrikaans in some residences during the welcoming week.

The SAHRC found the university had violated the rights of Afrikaans-speaking students.

This after the DA and FF Plus filed a complaint with the SAHRC in March 2021.

Further comments from the university will be added once received.