Stellenbosch rector cleared
STELLENBOSCH University (SU) rector and vice-chancellor Professor Wim de Villiers has been exonerated of allegations that he had attempted to interfere in the Constitutional Court litigation related to the institution’s 2016 language policy by trying to convince Justice Edwin Cameron to accept the nomination for the election of SU chancellor.
The investigation came after the Concourt, on October 10, unanimously found in favour of SU, which opposed an application by Gelyke Kanse – a lobby group that wanted SU to reinstate Afrikaans as a parallel medium of instruction – to compel the institution to return to its 2014 language policy.
At the end of October, the executive committee of the university’s council asked retired Judge Burton Fourie to investigate the allegations.
In a statement yesterday, SU said Fourie had found that “there was no evidence to support a finding that the conduct of the rector in regards to the nomination of Justice Cameron for the position of chancellor of Stellenbosch University, constituted a serious violation of the law or serious misconduct”.
Fourie’s report was tabled at the last council meeting of the year yesterday.
“In my view, the facts and circumstances, and in particular the conduct of the rector, do not, when viewed holistically, give rise to a reasonable apprehension of bias on the part of Cameron due to influence brought to bear upon him by De Villiers,” Fourie said.