An investigation has found that Stellenbosch University (SU) Vice-Chancellor Wim de Villiers did not abuse the Rector’s Discretionary Placement (RDP) rule when he admitted two of his wife’s relatives as students.
A panel led by retired Judge Carole Lewis cleared De Villiers of any misconduct in the nepotism scandal that rocked the institution and divided its convocation, The Citizen reports.
The SU council, which met on Saturday to discuss Lewis’s findings, found, however, that De Villiers’s actions amounted to ‘a regrettable error of judgement’.
The council said: ‘“There was no serious misconduct warranting the Rector’s removal from office or the adoption of a motion in terms of section 42(3).
‘It was, however, a regrettable error of judgement for the Rector to place two relatives using the RDP without realising the ethical implications of this.’
The investigation found that he did not act dishonestly in making the discretionary placements ‘such as to lead to a breakdown of trust between SU and the rector’.
‘On allegations of dishonesty – the Rector disclosed his relationship to the two candidates to a senior colleague before allocating places to them and was advised that, because of his wide discretion, he could make the placements.
‘There is no proof, even on a balance of probabilities, that the Rector acted dishonestly – with an intent to deceive or falsely represent a position.’
The report said the placement of the two relatives and De Villiers’s handling of the matter, and the attention that followed, ‘dented the trust of his colleagues’.
De Villiers reportedly apologised to the council on Saturday for the damage the allegations against him had caused, and acknowledged that he needed to restore his colleagues’ trust.
According to The Citizen, the meeting unanimously rejected the motion tabled by former convocation president Jan Heunis to remove De Villiers as Vice-Chancellor, saying there was no serious misconduct warranting such action.
The council said it ‘has confidence in the Rector and his team and that this regrettable episode will not be repeated’.
[Image: https://www0.sun.ac.za/100/en/team/prof-w-de-villiers/]