Newton-King not fit for re-election – former SU Chancellors
The term of office of the Stellenbosch University Council Chair, 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 Newton-King now indicates that she seeks to be re-elected to Council through another pathway.
In a statement, Johann Rupert and Edwin Cameron, former SU Chancellors, said: “We regret this. 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.
“The Kriegler Report of December 2024 was issued by Justice Johann Kriegler, Professor Themba Mosia and Advocate Karrisha Pillay, Senior Counsel. The commissioners unanimously found that Newton-King:
- Was an active and/or knowing participant in the surreptitious and contrived amendment of the report of an “independent panel” on the Wilgenhof residence so as to eliminate an alternative to closing the residence that she and the then rector thought “troublesome”;
- “Knew or ought to have known” that her actions and those of the then rector in the issuing the radically amended report were wrong; in fact, this must have been “plain” to her;
- Procured the changes through a “simulated transaction” in a process that “was fatally flawed”;
- Was duty bound to alert Council, yet failed to do so;
- Was thus guilty of a material non-disclosure of a “significant circumstance” to the Council, one that “demanded” disclosure;
- Failed to disclose “material information that could have influenced the outcome of Council deliberations”;
- Sought to advance reasons for not fulfilling her duty of disclosure that were “palpably illogical”.
“These governance failures are extremely serious. 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 highlight the need for renewed stewardship. The future wellbeing and stature of the University indicate that Newton-King should not be considered for re-election. This would risk undermining the progress made in repairing the damage done during her term as Council chair.
“The Stellenbosch University community deserves new and transparent leadership with integrity. Our sincere hope is that it will receive this,” Cameron and Rupert stated.