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Media reports create the perception that vulnerable individuals in Wilgenhof have been trampled and exploited by the enactment of bullies' traditions. Nothing could be further from the truth, writes Chuckles van Zyl.
Wilgenhof has an unwritten practice of not attempting to defend itself against every malicious allegation from outsiders; the cases are simply too numerous and fantastical.
However, as a parent of children studying at a prominent Stellenbosch boys' school, girls' school and the university, I am confronted by the media-driven perception within these children's circles that Wilgenhof has been engaging in occult, racist and/or homophobic practices for many years, enforced on vulnerable residents. This prompts a different perspective, I am sure my brothers will understand.
Background: I was in Die Plek for six years in the '90s and served on the house committee for two years; on the welcoming committee for two years; the internal disciplinary body (die Nagligte); as primarius; and in many other more interesting capacities. I was deeply involved in all practices or traditions during that time and, as an outspoken, defiant, troublemaking senior, I experienced more disciplinary intervention there than anyone who was there with me. Or so it felt.
READ | A Wilgenhoffer responds to Verwoerd: 'I inherited self-doubt from Wilgenhof'
I am not ashamed today of anything Wilgenhof did during that time, or the fact that my name is still, more prominently than merited, painted on the so-called "doophool" (initiation room) ceiling in recent front-page headlines after 30 years. It is much more than I can say for a media house to whom my grandparents dedicated their lives as journalists - I weep over the damage that slanderous and blatantly incorrect reporting does for the sake of sensation.
Like with most things that 18- or 24-year-old men attempt to do on their own, the execution of well-intended plans sometimes becomes the criticism of an armchair critic. But with appropriate correction by your peers and friends in Wilgenhof, we, I believe, grew more as individuals than through any book knowledge. That is the value of a brotherhood like that of Wilgenhof.
Nothing is further from the truth
Media reports create the perception that vulnerable individuals in Wilgenhof have been trampled and exploited by the enactment of bullies' traditions. Nothing could be further from the truth. I cannot think of any other place where shy souls, passionate believers, young people with physical disabilities as well as diverse thinking and ethnicity have been more embraced by the greater whole and encouraged to cherish uniqueness.
I also do not know of any other student accommodation in Stellenbosch that, over the past 30 years, has made more money and time available through its alumni to promote and maintain racial diversity in the residence. So, residents and Old Boys live by the mantra "Unity in Diversity".
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It is these healthy values that ensure that its alumni, decades after they leave the inner circle, still feel passionately about a place that has had a significant impact on their lives. It's just a pity that such good stories don't sell newspapers or create sensation.
The litmus test of the sincerity of my and any other old Wilgenhoffer's views is whether he would like to see the most precious thing in his life, his children, in the Wilgenhof he knew. In my case, and everyone I have contact with, the answer is unequivocally: Yes! Regardless of the child's views and attitude.
Unfortunately, it is so that an institution with strong views cannot have a 100% satisfaction rate. The question, however, is whether the precious, meaningful, and enriching experience of 95% of participants should be withheld for the sake of 5% who feel differently, and a majority of outsiders with no perspective who believe the 95% should feel differently.
In my opinion, Stellenbosch University will be 120 years poorer without Wilgenhof.
- Chuckles van Zyl is a former resident of Wilgenhof.
*This was originally published in Die Burger in the letters' section. It was translated from Afrikaans to English.
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