Billionaire Johann Rupert slams Stellenbosch University chair

Two former chancellors of Stellenbosch University, Edwin Cameron and Johann Rupert, have issued a statement slamming the institution’s current chairman, Nicky Newton-King.

In the letter, Cameron and Rupert urge the Stellenbosch University community not to re-elect Newton-King as its council chair, claiming her tenure has been marred by “grave lapses of judgment”, and call for new council leadership.

This comes as Newton-King’s term of office is set to end on 31 March 2026. She is seeking re-election to the council.

Newton-King is best known for her tenure as CEO of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), having been the first woman to hold this role.

She joined the JSE in 1996 and was appointed to the exchange’s board in 2005, becoming CEO only seven years later, in 2012. Newton-King held this position until 2019.

Following her time at the biggest stock exchange in Africa, Newton-King had held positions on the boards of major South African companies, including Investec and MTN.

In 2023, she became the chairman of her alma mater’s council, making her Stellenbosch University’s 14th chair and the first woman to hold this position in the institution’s over 100-year history.

Her term as chairman comes to an end on 31 March, and she is reportedly seeking re-election to the council.

On 10 March, Cameron and Rupert issued a media statement arguing against Newton-King’s re-election.

“She acknowledges that the constituency that nominated her to Council, the donors, no longer want her to represent them,” they said in the statement.  

“This evidences the breach in trust between her and the stakeholders she has represented.”

Cameron and Rupert claim that Newton-King’s tenure as chairman was “marred by grave lapses of judgement and candour in governance”, saying this damaged trust in the council and the university. 

To support these claims, they referred to the Kriegler Report, which was issued in December 2024 by Justice Johann Kriegler, Professor Themba Mosia and Advocate Karrisha Pillay.

‘Extremely serious’ governance failures

The Kriegler Report was the outcome of a panel investigation, chaired by Kriegler, that looked into serious allegations regarding the amendment and related disclosure of a separate panel investigation, the De Jager report, on Stellenbosch University’s Wilgenhof residence.

This all-male, 120-year-old residence became the topic of severe scrutiny in 2024, when a News24 report revealed hidden rooms containing controversial items and imagery linked to a disciplinary group called the “Nagligte” (Night-lights).

This controversy led to a panel investigation, the De Jager panel, which Newton-King chaired. Following investigations, the panel recommended in its final report that the Wilgenhof residence should be permanently closed.

Following legal action from Wilgenhof’s alumni association, the residence was ultimately only temporarily closed, with the university undertaking to “reimagine” and repurpose it.

However, the panel and Newton-King, in particular, came under scrutiny after their final report was allegedly amended and the panel’s independence was brought into question.

Therefore, a subsequent panel, the Kriegler panel, was set up to investigate allegations of tampering with the De Jager report.

Cameron and Rupert said the commissioners of the Kriegler panel reached damning conclusions against Newton-King, finding that the council chair –

• 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-university rector thought “troublesome”
• “Knew or ought to have known” that her actions and those of the then-rector in issuing the radically amended report were wrong
• Procured the changes through a “simulated transaction” in a process that “was fatally flawed”
• Was duty-bound to alert the council, yet failed to do so
• Was 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”

Cameron and Rupert referred to these findings in their statement, saying “these governance failures are extremely serious”.

“Ms 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 said.

“They highlight the need for renewed stewardship. The future well-being and stature of the university indicate that Ms 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.”

Cameron and Rupert said the Stellenbosch University community deserves “new and transparent leadership with integrity”. 

Daily Investor reached out to Stellenbosch University for comment. An article detailing the university and Newton-King’s response to the statement can be found here: Top South African university responds to Johann Rupert.