Adv Jan Heunis, SC resigns from the Stellenbosch University council: Ahmed Essop

Advocate Jan Heunis, SC, has resigned from the Stellenbosch University council with immediate effect following the outcome of the Stellenbosch University Convocation meeting on Thursday evening. This has been confirmed by council chair Nicky Newton-King who also thanked Heunis for his service. The convocation, which forms part of the university community, is drawn from alumni, full-time academic staff and former full-time academic staff of the university who have since retired. The university says that Heunis resigned from the council on Saturday. He and most of his executive committee have been voted out after convocation members voted on a motion to remove them over their handling of nepotism claims against rector and vice-chancellor Professor Wim de Villiers. The first motion of no confidence excluded vice-president Rudi Buys. However, Buys was the sole subject of a second motion of no confidence, which failed to garner sufficient votes. That motion stemmed from allegations that Buys was behind a media campaign against executive committee members in the convocation, sowing division and damaging the university's image. Ahmed Essop is a consultant and Research Associate at the Ali Mazrui Centre for Higher Education Studies at the University of Johannesburg. He joins us now.
For more news, visit sabcnews.com and #SABCNews on all Social Media platforms.