'Human dignity is non-negotiable': Stellenbosch University responds to findings by SAHRC

Human dignity is non-negotiable at Stellenbosch University (SU), and must be respected and upheld. 

Rector and vice-chancellor Prof Wim de Villiers made this clear in his response to findings by the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) that the university had violated the rights of Afrikaans-speaking students when it said they could only speak English in certain residences during their welcoming period in 2021. 

“Human dignity is non-negotiable at SU and must be respected and upheld. SU was disappointed by the incidences that came to light and notes the recommendations of the SAHRC report on language at SU,” said De Villiers. 

“I am on record as having apologised to anyone negatively affected by these incidences. SU remains steadfastly committed to advancing human rights, multilingualism and inclusiveness for all its students, staff and stakeholders and is continuously evolving to emphasise this mindset and compliance with the SU Language Policy (2021)".

He noted that many positive actions aligned with the remedial actions recommended by the commission had already been undertaken, such as emphasising that in the spirit of multilingualism there should be no prohibition on the use of any language, including Afrikaans. Further planned actions included ongoing training for residence heads and student leaders, in line with the remedial actions in the report.       

“I am on record as stating that SU's multilingual journey is not easy. Mistakes are inevitable and we will learn from them towards charting a progressive multilingual and inclusive South African 21st century university. The university has already acted since the first reports about the use of language in a particular residence that came to the fore in 2021 — as was acknowledged by the commission,” said De Villiers.      

Prof Deresh Ramjugernath, deputy vice-chancellor: learning and teaching, said: “While we don't necessarily agree with all the factual findings of the report at this early stage, the university will now consider the commission's findings, proposed remedial actions and recommendations in detail and also consider its actions going forward.” 

The full response by the university can be read here.

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