Stellenbosch University Chair to step down
Stellenbosch University has informed its Wilgenhof Alumni Association that the current Chair of Council, Nicky Newton-King, will not stand for re-election as Chair or as Council member after her term ends on April 1 2026.
In 2024, Newton-King was found responsible for failing to disclose information regarding the Wilgenhof Residence, as recorded in the Kriegler Report that year.
The Wilgenhof Residence came under severe public scrutiny after a “punishment room” was discovered, with allegations of abuse towards students.
Earlier this month, former Stellenbosch University Chancellors Edwin Cameron and Johann Rupert released a statement expressing their concerns about the current chair and the University’s future.
Rupert and Cameron said that the donors who originally nominated Newton-King no longer wish for her to represent them, due to a breach of trust between her and the stakeholders she has represented.
“The future well-being and stature of the University indicate that Ms Newton-King should not be considered for re-election,” they said.
“This would risk undermining the progress made in repairing the damage done during her term as Council Chair.”
The Wilgenhof Alumni Association said Newton-King’s decision to step down after her term ends is a responsible move in the best interests of the University.
“The Council plays a vital role in the governance and long-term health of Stellenbosch University, and this moment offers an important opportunity for strengthening the process of renewal which is currently underway within the institution,” it said.
The Association noted the progress and the nearing end of the official facilitated renewal process at Wilgenhof.
They said the process formed part of the settlement reached between the University and the Association in February 2025.
According to the Wilgenhof Association, the process was intended as a catalyst for the transformation of Stellenbosch University and its other residential communities.
First woman to lead Council
Former JSE CEO Nicky Newton-King has served on the Council for Stellenbosch University since 2022, becoming the first woman to lead the Council.
She was elected as the 14th Chair of Council in 2023, succeeding Ainsley Moos, who passed away unexpectedly nearly three months earlier.
When responding to Rupert and Cameron’s statement, Newton-King said that while some of her donors expressed strong support, others said they would prefer to be represented by someone else.
According to Rupert and Cameron, the 2024 Kriegler Report found Newton-King responsible for the following allegations:
- “‘Knew or ought to have known’ that her actions and those of the then Rector in issuing the radically amended report were wrong; in fact, this must have been ‘plain’ to her;
- Procured the changes through a ‘simulated transaction’ in a process that ‘was fatally flawed’;
- Was duty-bound to alert Council, yet failed to do so;
- Was thus guilty of a material non-disclosure of a ‘significant circumstance’ to the Council, one that ‘demanded’ disclosure;
- Failed to disclose ‘material information that could have influenced the outcome of Council deliberations’;
- Sought to advance reasons for not fulfilling her duty of disclosure that were ‘palpably illogical’;
- Was an active and/or knowing participant in the surreptitious and contrived amendment of the report of an ‘independent panel’ on the Wilgenhof Residence to eliminate an alternative to closing the residence that she and the then Rector thought troublesome.”
Newton-King said that she acted in the best interests of the University and all its stakeholders and, due to the circumstances, will not make herself available to Council as a donor candidate.
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