The Council of Stellenbosch University (SU) has elected Dr Nicky Newton-King as its new Chair. This follows the untimely death of the former Chair, Mr Ainsley Moos, on 31 January 2023. Dr Newton-King, Vice-Chair at the time, acted as Chair in the interim, but has now been elected Chair by Council. She said: “It is an honour to be appointed Chair, a responsibility I accept with humility and a sense of duty. I have the greatest respect for the stature of the University and the contributions of its staff and students.” Dr Newton-King has served on Council since 2 April 2022 as a member elected by donors of the University. She is an alumna of SU holding a BA LLB and a LLM from Cambridge. She also holds an honorary doctorate from the University and is a former CEO of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and currently serves on the Board of Directors of Investec Group and the MTN Group.A motion in terms of section 42(3) of the SU Statute to dismiss the Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Wim de Villiers, was tabled today at a meeting of the Council of SU. The motion was placed on the agenda by Dr Leon Schreiber, and seconded by Dr Jan Heunis. Following a thorough debate, Council agreed that the matter should first be referred to a Council Committee of three persons, of which one will be an independent legal professional. The Committee will investigate the facts underlying the motion, including allegations of nepotism and a possible breach of related rules in relation to Rector’s Discretionary Placements (RDP) and placements of relatives of the Rector and Vice-Chancellor. “The allegations of nepotism are grave,” Dr Newton-King said, and Council recognises the impact this issue has had on Stellenbosch University stakeholders. “Once Council has the Committee’s report, it will evaluate it and consider the motion brought by Dr Schreiber. Council recognises the importance of addressing this issue as a matter of urgency and is committed to doing so in a manner that is fair to both the University and the Rector and Vice-Chancellor, and in which the institution’s stakeholders can have confidence,” Dr Newton-King said. “We welcome the opportunity for scrutiny and reflection, enabling us to maintain the high standards we are known for and address areas of possible improvement. I want to provide the assurance that the stability and continuity of the University at this time is our priority,” she added. Council also decided that the concept of the Rector’s Discretionary Placement should be reviewed in its totality by the relevant academic governance structures for Council’s consideration. Of note is that Dr Leon Schreiber welcomes the apology issued by SU in respect of the incidences considered as part of the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) Report and he confirms that the motion is based on the nepotism allegations that will be investigated as a matter of urgency.SAHRC Report on language During the meeting Council also noted and agreed that while there are aspects of the SAHRC Report on language in SU residences during the welcoming period in 2021 that it might want to respond to more fully to and possibly even challenge, it doesn’t intend to delay until the date set by the SAHRC (13 May) to implement the essence of the SAHRC remedial action and recommendation.   SU reiterated its previous statements that the conduct of the nature set out in the SAHRC Report, which limited the speaking of Afrikaans at residences, is wrong and should never have happened. As the SAHRC indicated, the University’s Language Policy would not have allowed any student to be prohibited from speaking their language of choice in social circumstances. SU is currently taking Senior Counsel’s advice on aspects of the SAHRC Report after which it will respond fully to the Report, but we welcome the SAHRC finding that there is not a “blatant and concentrated ban on Afrikaans inspired and motivated by a concerted effort from [SU] and certain individuals in management to eradicate Afrikaans from SU”.SU unequivocally apologises to all students in Minerva and Irene who were affected by the residence practices during welcoming week in 2021 and who felt that their human rights and dignity were affected by not being able to speak Afrikaans in a social context. Although we have extensive training in place on the application of the language policy for student leaders, and we have reinforced that training already this year, we will continue to do so.  At the same time, we are confirming our commitment to a multilingual, multicultural university which respects human rights and dignity and where all our stakeholders feel welcome, a move supported by SU Senate in its motion.​​