Three Stellenbosch University students linked to posters based on 1930s Hitler Youth propaganda have been ordered to do 100 hours of community service.

They must also complete a “restorative assignment” on how to “constructively engage on campus and address different narratives”.

The posters‚ which appeared in May emblazoned with the name “The Anglo-Afrikaner Student” and the slogan “Fight for Stellenbosch”‚ advertised a meeting on campus convened by an organisation called The New Right.

They sparked widespread condemnation‚ and investigation and the suspension of the three students.

A university statement on Friday said trio’s hearing at the central disciplinary committee had found them guilty of contravening two clauses of the student disciplinary code.

One clause says: “A student shall not act in a manner that is racist‚ unfairly discriminatory‚ violent‚ grossly insulting‚ abusive or intimidating against any other person‚” and the other deals with “disrupting the maintenance of order and discipline”.

The statement said: “After lengthy deliberations the (committee) imposed ... appropriate restorative‚ rehabilitative and punitive sanctions applicable to all three students.”

Sixty hours of the community service has to be completed by the end of this academic year. The first draft of the restorative assignment is due by the last day of this year’s third term and the final assignment by the first Monday in February.

“The remaining 40 hours of the community service must be used to implement the ideas of constructive engagement as determined in the restorative assignment‚” said the statement.

“If any of the three students fail to comply with any of the above elements of the sanction‚ they will be expelled immediately from Stellenbosch University.”