85 years and still ticking

By Emma Giles

Somewhere in the last five years, the clock in Die Matie’s office stopped ticking. The batteries rested dead in their socket and the hands stayed frozen. We replaced the batteries and the hands moved forward once more – and with patience and a lot of love, Die Matie is also ticking again. 

Time often passes faster than we can comprehend. It’s been 30 years since the South African Constitution was signed into law, six years since the COVID-19 pandemic began and 85 years since the first edition of Die Matie. 

Flipping through the Die Matie archives, you are confronted with a spectacular display of history. Stories that would otherwise be forgotten, scenes that would have remained unseen and perspectives that shaped the narrative and remain relevant decades later. 

This special 85th edition is the next paper on the pile. Our hope is that, when it is read in the years to come, it reflects the most prominent issues, triumphs, challenges and memories of the year 2026. 

This year, Die Matie’s vision was clear: to spark an undeniable presence, be directly on the ground and integrated into the community we report on, and move towards long-term sustainability in the ever-changing media landscape. 

Upon reflection, we see that Die Matie’s Instagram account doubled in followers, now at 10 700, with an engaged and interactive audience. With a new website, branded t-shirts and email signatures, we have increased our visibility and accessibility on campus. 

We also took part in the Stellenbosch University open day and societies fairs, attended MatiesLead leadership training programmes and visited all residences and Commuter Stu-dent Communities (CSCs) during Welcoming.

In our Main Editorial term, which started last September, we published 228 articles across nine cycles. 

We covered student politics, NSFAS, student debt, and campus controversies extensively, with a broad range of content. We also expanded to a team of around 70 student journalists, photographers, and social media managers.

The 85th year of Die Matie has been one of pivots, reinvention and unbreakable teamwork, where we continued the work of our predecessors and forged a place on campus. Our work is not fleeting, and we are confident that Die Matie will have many more anniversary special editions to come.

Die Matie has survived the test of time – not by accident or coincidence. But, because students came along, inspired and wide-eyed, and were willing to change the batteries.

Today, the arms are moving confidently and steadily, and Die Matie ticks on. 

Emma Giles – Editor-in-Chief (2025/2026)