by Lienke Norval
On 25 January 2024, a News24 article by journalist Prega Govender titled: “Inside Stellenbosch University’s house of horrors” went viral amongst prospective students, current students, and alumni alike. The article delineated the discovery of two strafkamers (“punishment rooms”) at the Wilgenhof men’s residence containing a variety of concerning artefacts after a surprise audit by the university. Wilgenhof is the oldest residence on campus and has long been the subject of frightening rumours regarding their internal punishment systems and initiation practices. Govender’s article and the striking photos accompanying it all but confirmed many of these rumours, at least within the eye of the public, once again drawing our attention to the discourse of racism, elitism and archaic traditions associated with the university.
Reports claim that the university has been aware of these rooms as well as the controversial activities of the unofficial student disciplinary group, the Nagligte, since 2020. However, an archival Die Matie article dating back to February 1985 documents the disturbing case of the kidnapping and assault of a Die Matie journalist and his roommate. The unnamed journalist was in the midst of an investigation regarding the infamous Wilgenhof initiation rituals. The pair were cornered by nine masked Wilgenhof residents, all second year, in their room in Eendrag. According to the journalist in question, a sock was stuffed into his mouth, his arms and legs were pressed down, and he was then strangled and beaten. After pillowcases were placed over the students’ heads, they were stuffed into the boot of a car and driven to Coetzenberg sports field, where they were commanded to strip their clothes off. They were subsequently covered in black oil paint, syrup and feathers. When the group was approached by a member of campus security, the Wilgenhoffers claimed they were busy with initiation. Upon hearing this, the security guard left them to continue the abuse.
Eventually, the two students made it back to Eendrag without their clothes and immediately reported the incident to the police. However, no further legal action was taken after the victims were persuaded by the university to rescind the allegations, promising to handle the incident internally. The article was published in Die Matie some weeks after the incident in 1985, alongside another article exposing Wilgenhof’s problematic doopkultuur (“Initiation culture”) in-depth. Among the details noted in the second article were references to the black robes of the Nagligte and how indicative they are of Ku Klux Klan uniforms. Furthermore, various rituals and punishments were intricately described, all violent and abusive in nature.
After the publication of the News24 article earlier this year, the SU community was rightfully shocked by the graphic photos of the two strafkamers and their contents. However, any pretence that the distressing goings-on at Wilgenhof was anything other than an open secret, is just that: A pretence.
