The end of July 2018 – the month in which Nelson Mandela's life was honoured through many social impact activities of Stellenbosch University (SU) – does not signal the end of the University's initiatives to make a difference in the lives of the broader community, students and staff members.

Just as the initiatives will continue, so too will the memory of Mandela and his connection to SU. When looking at the huge banners portraying Mandela's face and the words depicting his legacy, one realises that three of the highlights of the University's first centenary were visits by Madiba to SU. These visits will continue to be celebrated at SU in the next 100 years.

The relationship between SU and Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela began in the years when Mandela was incarcerated on Robben Island. Prof Dr Andreas van Wyk, Rector and Vice-Chancellor in 1991, recalls that the relationship between SU and Mandela began long before Mandela's release in 1990 and his first official visit to the SU in 1991.

“You know, when Mandela was in need of medical attention at the time he was in prison, he was taken to Tygerberg Hospital. For years, even his dentist was from Stellenbosch. He came to Tygerberg several times over the years," Van Wyk explained. “The medical staff at Tygerberg complained that he should not come for medical treatment with cuffs on, as they could not perform proper medical treatment under those circumstances."

Mandela's first visit to SU came in 1991, following an official invitation by Van Wyk who was the deputy rector at the time. Van Wyk said the two of them walked together on campus and even visited the Neelsie Student Centre. “There were no formal speeches but he talked to students as we walked through the Neelsie. We offered him lunch in the Neelsie, while other prominent professors such as Bernard Lategan, Sampie Terblanche, and others that attended the Dakar Conference (also known as the Dakar Dialogue and the Dakar Initiative) in 1987, joined in."

The Dakar Conference, held in Senegal, was a historic conference held between members of the Institute for Democratic Alternatives in South Africa (IDASA) and the African National Congress (ANC). The conference discussed topics such as strategies for bringing fundamental change in South Africa, national unity, structures of the government, and the future of the economy in a free South Africa.

On 25 October 1996, Mandela became an alumnus of SU when he accepted an honorary doctorate degree from the University. “It was important for us, especially at that time, to be the first Afrikaans university to invite Mandela," said Van Wyk.

Van Wyk continues that although SU's honorary doctorates committee earlier decided no longer to bestow honorary doctorate degrees upon politicians, the members agreed that certain exceptions should be made. “Apart from Mandela, we also bestowed honorary doctorates on Chris Liebenberg, Derek Keys and Trevor Manual for their exceptional contribution under difficult times in South Africa's history.

“It was a very important gesture of reconciliation within the framework of the rainbow nation. There was an erroneous perception that Stellenbosch was close to the Apartheid government. After the 1996, we had regular contact with Mandela. Mandela continued to invite the University to various state functions in Cape Town. I met many heads of state through Mandela and the events he hosted."

Van Wyk recalls that the day Mandela received his honorary doctorate was a particularly lively and happy day at the University. Mandela delivered a memorable speech at the graduation ceremony that touched many hearts. In the last part of his speech, Mandela said, “It still remains my wish, though, that we will all be absorbed together in this vast land. And that Afrikaans institutions and Afrikaans people will never again be surly and stand-offish and apart but, rather, that they will be an interwoven part of what we are newly creating."

Mandela concluded his speech by saying, “It is in the knowledge that this University has a large part to play in making that wish come true, that I accept the honour of being made an alumnus of the University of Stellenbosch."

On 19 March 2008, Nelson Mandela visited Stellenbosch University for the last time when he supported his wife, Graça Machel, who was awarded an honorary doctorate in Arts and Social Sciences.

Over the past two weeks, SU honoured Mandela with the rest of the country. SU staff and students are not only remembering the principles that made Mandela's legacy one that inspired and altered the entire country and the world at large, they are following his example by leaving a lasting footprint that will be remembered by those whose lives they touch.

Photo 1: On 25 October 1996, Stellenbosch University awarded an honorary doctorate degree to former President Nelson Mandela. Top left: Prof Andreas van Wyk, a former Vice-Chancellor of SU; Dr Sibusiso Bengu, the then Minister of Education; the former Chancellor, Dr Jan van der Horst, and Mr Gys Steyn, Chairperson of the SU Council

Photo 2: Former President Nelson Mandela at the graduation ceremony of his wife, Ms Graça Machel, also attended by Arthur Chaskalson (left), world-renowned legal expert and the first President of the Constitutional Court and later Chief Justice of South Africa; and Prof Vic Goedseels (right)

Photo 3: Former President Nelson Mandela and Prof Russel Botman, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of Stellenbosch University, at the graduation ceremony in March 2008