Johann Rupert leads donors’ charge against Stellenbosch University chair

Johann Rupert has teamed up with the erstwhile chancellor of Stellenbosch University and former justice of the Constitutional Court Edwin Cameron in a bid to oust council chair Nicky Newton-King in a move underscoring the power university donors have on institutions. In a joint statement published on Tuesday, the two men said Newton-King was no longer fit for purpose to lead the university, adding she had lost the support of the powerful cohort of donors. “The term of office of the Stellenbosch University council chair Ms Nicky Newton-King will shortly end.

She acknowledges that the constituency that nominated her to council, the donors, no longer want her to represent them. This evidences the breach in trust between her and the stakeholders she has represented. “But Ms Newton-King now indicates she seeks to be re-elected to council through another pathway.

We regret this. Ms Newton-King’s tenure as chair was marred by grave lapses of judgement and candour in governance. These damaged trust in the council and the university.” Rupert is the country’s wealthiest person, with wealth estimated at $16.8bn.

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He is the university’s alumnus and former chancellor. The position of Newton-King came under peril in 2024 after a scathing report by retired Constitutional Court justice Johann Kriegler called into question her and former rector and vice-chancellor Wim de Villiers’ sincerity over the contentious closure of theWilgenhofmen’s residence. Kriegler, in a report dated November 29 2024, found the council should have been made aware of the amendment of a key recommendation by a panel set up to investigate the matter — that closure of the residence was not the only option.

Challenges besetting Wilgenhof came to the fore after a series of reports by News24 in January exposing abusive initiation rituals that left some of the victims scarred for decades. Newton-King and De Villiersweathered the storm, with the latter finishing his term last year. Newton-King is an esteemed business leader who sits on the board of several JSE-listed groups and previously held the role of CEO of the stock exchange.

She was appointed to the role in April 2023, making her the first woman to hold the position of council chair in the 106 years of the university’s existence. Rupert and Cameron said the findings by Kriegler were a stain on Newton-King, making her unfit to serve another term. “Ms Newton King and the then rector managed to persuade the majority of the then council, in effect, to ignore or overlook the findings of the Kriegler report. But they can be ignored no longer,” they said.

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