By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Stellenbosch University (SU) convocation president, advocate Jan Heunis, SC, and most of his executive committee have been voted out voted on a motion of no confidence.
This comes after exco members requested that the rector and vice-chancellor, Wim de Villiers, resign in light of charges of nepotism.
De Villiers had used his discretionary powers – which allow him to make three placements annually – to give two relatives spots in the medical faculty. The second placement was withdrawn.
One motion was against the vice-president of the executive committee, Dr Rudi Buys, while the other was against the remainder of the executive committee, excluding Buys. The committee consists of five members.
The convocation consists of all SU graduates, full-time and retired academic staff and diplomats. Members of the convocation elect the executive committee and can remove executive members.
No confidence in Buys
The motion of no confidence in Buys was called for in a letter by Daniël Gerhardus Ras and signed by 135 other convocation members. The letter is dated 16 May.
The letter’s claims include that Buys supported a decision in April – along with other executive committee members – to ask De Villiers to resign. The letter further states that Buys distanced himself from this decision, has driven a campaign against his fellow committee members, sown division within the convocation and damaged the image of SU.
Members of the convocation represented by the letter have lost trust in Buys and want him to vacate his position as vice-president.
However, Buys was the sole subject of a second motion of no confidence, which failed to garner sufficient votes.
No confidence in executive
The motion of no confidence against the executive committee, excluding Buys, was called for in a letter by Dr Louise van Rhyn and seconded by 247 members. The letter is dated 2 May.
The motion was made due to the executive committee’s decision on 14 April to call for the resignation of De Villiers and registrar, Dr Ronel Retief.
The executive committee’s request for De Villiers’s resignation took several controversies into account, including the allegations against De Villiers of interference during the Constitutional Court case regarding SU’s language policy in 2016.
De Villiers was accused of approaching Justice Edwin Cameron with a chancellorship to influence the court ruling. Cameron presided over the case and is the current chancellor of SU.
However, an independent investigation cleared De Villiers of wrongdoing in the matter, and it was found he did not interfere in the court case.
Stellenbosch University said in a statement, that due process has been followed and trusts that all members of the convocation will abide by these outcomes. The university will continue to provide administrative and logistical assistance to support the convocation wherever required.