Article written by Jacolette Kloppers, 2001 editor and founder of Die Matie Student Newspaper Trust
Die Matie, the official student newspaper of Stellenbosch University (SU), is celebrating its 80th anniversary. In honour of this unique milestone, a special jubilee issue is being published today (Monday, 23 August 2021).
The first edition of Die Matie was published on 1 August 1941 and as far as can be ascertained, Die Matie is the second oldest student newspaper in South Africa.
A limited edition of the printed commemorative edition is being distributed on the Stellenbosch campus today, among others at the SU Library, the Neelsie, residences and academic buildings. Former editorial staff members of Die Matie financed the printing costs.
Click here to view the electronic edition.
Memories
Highlights in the commemorative issue include an interview with the award-winning author Etienne van Heerden (editor in 1978), and an interview with the well-known singer and author Koos Kombuis about the then Voëlvry music movement and the reaction they received on the Stellenbosch campus. The names of all the former and editors-in-chief, editorial teams, letters and congratulatory messages from former members of the editorial staff (among others Prof Andreas van Wyk, a former SU Rector and editor in 1964, and Prof Christo Viljoen, a former Vice-Rector and editorial member in the 1950s) have also been included.
The special edition also includes a collection of interesting campus quotes (one of the most popular sections in Die Matie), and a look at remarkable moments, lows and interesting anecdotes over the years regarding fashion, sports, student life, residences, the Student Representative Council and cultural affairs. There are also articles about the Toyota SU Woordfees, MFM 92.6 (formerly Radio Matie) and a dance company that helped raise money for the construction of the Langenhoven student centre.
“Life on campus has changed so much over the past 80 years and Die Matie was there to capture all the student spirit. The cover depicts something of every era, from the bop, a dance style that had been described as an 'evil' and 'ducktail problem' in the late 1950s to the Voëlvry movement that opposed the establishment in the late 1980s. Our cartoonist, Robynne Lewis, also captured something from Stellenbosch with the proteas in the foreground and the Stellenbosch mountains in the background," said Ms Carla Visagie, outgoing editor of Die Matie and editor of the commemorative edition.
“In true Die Matie fashion, we tried to find possibilities for this newspaper where there weren't always possibilities. Although we had to work through the exams and it was in the midst of a pandemic, we looked for ways to make this issue happen, even if it seemed almost impossible. But while doing some reading for this issue it reminded us anew that the newspaper's editors had been fixing things for 80 years that at first seemed almost impossible.
“This special edition became our canary in the coal mine – a loud reminder that what we are doing means something. For some people it may just be a student newspaper, but it has documented lives, places and great moments, and without Die Matie it would have been forgotten forever."
Online archive
Die Matie is also very proud of the fact that all the editions from 1941 to 2011 are now available online in PDF format as part of SUNDigital Collections on the SU Library's website. The editors thank the library staff for the mammoth task of exploring and using this archive material. Click here to access these editions:
- Click here to read more congratulatory messages and letters from former editorial staff members.
