Wilgenhof men’s residence has recently faced backlash from the student community regarding certain alleged discriminatory actions which were rumoured to have happened during the university’s welcoming period.
In light of the recent events, Stellenbosch University released an official statement on 27 February. “The Division for Student Affairs (DSAf) has notified students implicated in alleged dehumanising practices in Wilgenhof of their temporarily relief from their roles within the men’s residence, while a formal investigation follows to establish whether there were indeed unacceptable welcoming practices in the residence and violations of the Disciplinary Code for Students of Stellenbosch University (SU) and the Residence Rules,” Dr Choice Makhetha, senior director of student affairs, said in the statement.
The men’s residence has come under scrutiny following alleged questionable welcoming practices after the DSAf was said to have received a letter of complaint from the parents of a student who has subsequently left the university.
In a separate incident, an image containing derogatory remarks made towards a student’s gender identity was allegedly posted on an Instagram account associated with Wilgenhof.
In the statement released by the university, it was specified that the students believed to have been involved had 24 hours to respond to the allegations against them.
MatieMedia had contacted Wilgenhof’s primarius for comment, but at the time of publishing he was yet to respond.
This is a developing story. MatieMedia will update readers as the story unfolds.