By Jana Burger
There are two constants in Stellenbosch’s nightlife: De Akker (the oldest pub in town) and some students’ love for a night out. Throughout Die Matie’s existence, the partying and pub-frequenting Stellenbosch student has always been relevant.
Excessive alcohol consumption among students was frequently written about in Die Matie for decades. When Die Dros, a popular pub on the corner of Alexander Street and Bird Street, closed in 1983, the owner of Die Dros, Klippies Melck, told Die Matie that he was no longer making a profit and grew tired of the drunk students and their lack of discipline (Die Matie, 26 May 1983).
In 2000, a motion was put forward to stop the sale of alcohol at bars after midnight and not to sell alcohol to anyone under the age of 21. Bar owners called these suggestions “absurd and shortsighted”. They said that al-cohol consumption is based on how much money students have, not what time the bar closes (Die Matie, 17 May 2000).
The number of Die Matie reports related to alcohol consumption and nightlife increased in the late 1990s and early 2000s, so Die Matie recently interviewed 11 Stellenbosch University (SU) alumni who studied during this time, about their ideal night out.
Prof. Alan Brent, who studied at SU from 1990 to 1994, said that an ideal night out involved cheap food and drinks. They mainly went out to socialise with “sometimes hitting the dance floor”, he said.
For her ideal night out, Marisa Meyer, who studied from 1996 to 1999, said, “We walked to Cantina Tequila at about 22:00 and would wait in the line to get in, as the place was very popular. This was a bar where we danced and hung out with friends. We would have a few cocktails or beers and then at around 00:00 (when they closed) would walk across to Finlay’s (in Plein Street). We rarely went out for dinner.” Meyer also said that she remembers, “how we were always super excited before every big ‘night out’.”
According to most of the alumni interviewed, Finlay’s (now Nu’Bar) and De Akker (in Dorp Street) were the most popular spots for a night out and students tended to go out two to four times a week during their first year and less as they got older. The alumni also expressed great fondness over looking back on all the fun they had and the places they frequented.
Elizma Nolte, who studied from 1996 to 1999, said, “It was an innocent era when I look back on it. That is what I remember about kuier and jol. I met fantastic people who are still some of my favourite people in the world.”
Chantal Hulley, who studied from 1993 to 1995 called the kuier culture in her time “carefree and a bit irresponsible! We could be out the entire night without being traced by Life360.”
Whether you were a Terrace (on the corner of Alexander Street and Bird Street) regular, a Finlay’s local, a “barefoot” Mystic Boer (now Punk) person, or at Bohemia enjoying “a box of Robertson’s wine” (Die Matie, 1 March 2017), nightlife has been an SU constant.
Nolte said to Die Matie, “I love seeing how the Bos fuels its own organism of culture. Ultimately [it’s about] community, thought, and the freedom to shape. Don’t take it for granted.”
Die Matie reporting on the jol
From the 1940s to the late 1970s, Die Matie mostly covered festivals and large cultural events in their Dag & Nag section. Carnival and Jool (Rag in English) were the most exciting times of the year and mainly aimed at raising funds for charity, according to these earlier editions. In 1975, Carnival made a profit of R40 000.
Dances at the town hall and other venues were also very popular, but quickly became overcrowded and tickets became more expensive (Die Matie, 12 March 1971). Students got excited when new spots opened where they could go dancing and this was also often covered in Die Matie (22 September 2004).
Today Jool no longer holds the (now ironic) abbreviation of “Jou Onbaatsugtige Opoffering vir Liefdadigheid” [“Your Selfless Sacrifice for Charity”] (Die Matie, 22 September 2004). Today Jool usually involves a social weekend away, hosted by specific residences.
Intervarsity had also become an excuse for excessive drinking, according to a quote in Die Matie on 5 September 1996. Some events on the Intervarsity program included Down-Downs and a Beerfest.
