Message from the Dean's Management Team, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University
Thursday 22 September 2016


Dear Colleagues and Students

The Dean's Management Team (DMT) would like to express our sincere gratitude to members of the Tygerberg community for the way in which you have responded to the particular challenges of the last few days.

Thank you to every student and member of staff who attended our meeting this morning. The open and frank discussions helped us as a community to appreciate some of the matters that our students experience on a daily basis. Students shared their differences and pleaded for us to go forward together.

It is crucial that all of us continue to discuss the need not only for equitable access to higher education, but also other challenges facing our society and our campus. We will find better answers, more viable solutions and more effective strategies to bring about change if we continue our discussions and work together.

We recognise that events since Monday have placed strain on staff and students, and that this might compromise the ability of students to perform academically, especially when it comes to assessment. All undergraduate academic activities for Friday 23 September 2016 are postponed so that the time can be used by students and academic staff to prepare for the academic week ahead.

I would like to thank our colleagues who have been working tirelessly to allow for the measures put in place to ensure that each student of our faculty is assisted to complete their academic year successfully. All other activities on the Tygerberg Campus will continue and the campus will be open.

As the management team we commit ourselves to help lead honest discussions about how we can work together to create the welcoming and people-centred institutional culture that advances the inclusivity, equality and other human rights that we all seek.

Kind regards


Prof Julia Blitz
Acting Dean