The Management of Stellenbosch University (SU) notes the outcome of the extraordinary meeting of the Convocation held on the evening of Thursday, 1 June 2023. The meeting was chaired by retired justice BM Griesel after the members of the convocation who attended the meeting in person unanimously supported his appointment as ad hoc Chair for this extraordinary meeting.
The Convocation is a statutory body of the University with the objective, according to the University’s Statute, to “promote the welfare of the University by maintaining a mutually beneficial relationship between the University and the members of the Convocation”.
The motions are available here and here.
Two motions by members of the Convocation were debated and voted on at the extraordinary meeting. (For members that registered for the online meeting a 24 hour voting period was also agreed on between the President, Vice-President, and the two proposers of the motions.) The first, a motion of no confidence in the executive committee of the convocation, excluding the vice-president, Dr Rudi Buys, carried. The members of the executive committee excluding the vice-president, will now vacate their positions.
The second, a motion of no confidence in the vice-president of the convocation, did not carry.
SU confirms that due process has been followed and trusts that all members of the Convocation will abide by these outcomes. The University will continue to provide administrative and logistical assistance to support the Convocation wherever required.
- SU has some 230 000 alumni.
MORE ABOUT THE SU CONVOCATION
According to the University’s Statute, the objective of the Convocation is to “promote the welfare of the University by maintaining a mutually beneficial relationship between the University and the members of the Convocation, and may advise the Council, and the Senate when applicable, in this respect”. The Convocation is part of the SU community. It is not a separate legal entity and cannot litigate against the University.
The Statute further states that the Executive Committee of the Convocation helps the Convocation achieve its objective and perform its function. It gives effect to decisions of the Convocation.
The Convocation is composed of: (a) all persons on whom a qualification has been conferred at a congregation of the University; (b) the rector, the vice-rectors, chief operating officer and the full-time academic staff of the University; and (c) former full-time academic staff of the University who have left the service of the University on account of their having reached a retirement age.
The Executive Committee of the Convocation consists of 5 people: the President of the Convocation who serves as Chairperson at meetings of the Convocation; the Vice-President who serves as Chairperson at the meetings of the Convocation in the absence of the President; the Secretary of the Convocation; and two members elected as set out in 3.2 in the Procedure for the nomination and election of the Executive Committee of the Convocation.
- The institutional rules for the Convocation are available here.
