Stellenbosch Vice-Chancellor Wim De Villers Accused of Nepotism for Admitting Relative Into Medical School

• Wim de Villers, VC and rector of Stellenbosch University, has been called out for nepotism
• The VC reportedly used his discretionary power to get a distant relative into the university's MBChB programme
• De Villers faces a motion of no confidence from DA member Leon Schreiber in light of the recent controversy

STELLENBOSCH - The vice-chancellor and rector of Stellenbosch University, Wim de Villers, is embroiled in controversy involving nepotism.

De Villers has come under fire for using his discretionary power to admit a relative to the university's medical school.

Rejected student complaint uncovers De Villers' nepotism controversy

The act of nepotism was revealed when a former classmate of the VC's relative complained that she wasn't admitted to study medicine even though she had higher marks, News24 reported.

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De Villers didn't necessarily break any of the university's admissions rules, as they allow for rectors to make discretionary placements. However, the move does cross some ethical boundaries.

Stellenbosch's executive committee released a statement claiming that De Villers acknowledged that he made an error in judgement even though the admission of his relative was consistent with current guidelines.

Stellenbosch University Rectorate to review discretionary placement following nepotism controversy

As a consequence of the De Villers nepotism scandal, the guidelines for discretionary placements under the admissions policy are under review by the Rectorate.

The nepotism saga is the second blow to the university in recent months. South African Human Rights Commission found that the university violated the rights of Afrikaans-speaking students when some residences prohibited Afrikaans from being spoken during the first week of school.

De Villers' latest controversy, in addition to the language issue, will see the Democratic Alliance's Leon Schreiber table a motion of confidence at the next council meeting on 17 April.

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South Africans are divided by Stellenbosch VC's nepotism controversy

Below are some comments:

@JackPhakathi1 asked:

"If the relative qualifies, what's the problem?"

@DakshaGm said:

"This is not news. It’s always been there then and now."

@theZAshowcase slammed:

"Helping his 30-percenter relative get the nepotism leg-up. Shameful."

Stellenbosch University professor Jonathan Jansen slammed for column “romanticising” apartheid

In another story, Briefly News reported that an education professor at Stellenbosch University, Jonathan Jansen, came under fire for a controversial column he published.

In his piece, Jansen asked, “Are you better off now than under apartheid?” sparking fury on social media. However, he defended the remarks, saying he posed the question from an economic perspective.

During an interview with eNCA, Jansen said the country is far better off regarding civil and political rights. He said that in the article, he directed his question to underprivileged individuals.

Source: Briefly News