Mother challenges Stellenbosch University’s lack of apology in letter to President Ramaphosa
Majuba men’s residence at Stellenbosch University, where the primarius has stepped down after a student’s room was allegedly vandalised earlier this week.
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The mother of a Stellenbosch University student whose residence room was allegedly vandalised has written to President Cyril Ramaphosa, disputing that her son received an apology after the incident.
Education activist Vanessa Le Roux addressed the letter to the president and copied it to members of Parliament and student leaders, raising concerns about how the university handled the matter.
Le Roux’s son, Kylo, a second-year BA Humanities student, returned to his room at the Majuba men’s residence earlier this month to find it ransacked, with bedding, furniture and personal belongings removed.
He has since moved into a different residence.
In the letter, Le Roux claims that neither the university nor the residence leadership apologised directly to her son in the immediate aftermath of the incident.
“In general, if anything happens to a child, the first thing that you as leadership should do is apologise, but up until now not once did the university apologise to my child,” she said.
Le Roux said she raised the issue during a meeting with university officials and residence leadership.
“On Wednesday night, I had a meeting with the student’s dean, the res father and other student leaders where I told them that they have never apologised for what happened to my son.”
She said the first acknowledgement of the incident came days later in a message circulated on the residence WhatsApp group.
“On the Thursday, days after the incident they released a statement like this on their WhatsApp group, when Kylo was already busy moving out,” she said.
Following the incident, the residence house committee issued an apology to the student in a letter circulated to Majuba residents.
“The leadership of the residence confirms the unfortunate incident on Monday night when Kylo’s bed, mattresses and couch were removed from his room,” the letter reads.
“We regretfully acknowledge that this has caused him emotional harm and infringed on his dignity. What has happened is against the values of Majuba and should not have happened.
“We sincerely want to extend our apologies to Kylo. We regret not having communicated this apology earlier.”
Le Roux maintains that the university itself did not apologise to her son.
She further alleged that a university communication following the incident focused on the safety of another student rather than including an apology to her son.
Stellenbosch University said it has activated its internal processes in response to the incident.
“Staff members of the Responsibility Centre of the Dean of Students have engaged with student leaders to determine the appropriate next steps. These discussions form part of the university’s established protocols, which ensure that the parties involved are consulted,” spokesperson Martin Viljoen said.
He added that the university would prioritise student welfare while the matter is being handled.
“SU emphasises that the dignity and safety of its students remain paramount at all times. SU is committed to handling this matter with integrity and transparency, while respecting its internal processes that guide the matter. Until the facts have been fully established, SU reiterates the importance of allowing these processes to reach their conclusion.”
A complaint of unlawful entry and damage to property has been opened with Saps, while the university’s internal processes remain under way.