Wilgenhof

[2] Notable alumni include former Constitutional Court Justice Edwin Cameron, anti-Apartheid activist Beyers Naudé, business leaders such as Christo Wiese, Michael Jordaan, Paul Harris, and Whitey Basson, and rugby legends such as Doc Danie Craven, Morné du Plessis, and Schalk Brits.

Notably, the South African hurdles champion Arrie van Heerden, who was a resident at the time, participated in the Olympic Games in Antwerp that year.

The victory, 12-9, marked the beginning of a distinguished rugby tradition at Wilgenhof, including winning the Sauer Trophy eight times.

By 1981, under the new resident head Hennie de Vos, the seniors moved to Bachelors, a situation that persists to this day.

The 'Spirit of Willows,' a term coined by Oubaas Markotter, drove a successful campaign, culminating in a 15,000-pound donation, half of which was contributed by the university.

Wilgenhof is also involved in other community projects, such as ‘coke and buns,’ where students donate their lunch to a night shelter weekly.

Dr Craven served as Resident Head from 1967 until 1981, during which several changes occurred, including the construction of the 'slaweklok' (slave bell) and the renovation of various facilities.

On 22 January 2024, Stellenbosch University officials opened two locked rooms in the highly secretive Wilgenhof men's residence.

However, this was not the first time that university officials had been informed of the goings on at the 120-year-old residence, where first years were forced to participate naked in abusive initiation rituals that would leave some traumatized for decades.

The Wilgenhof Alumni Association claimed that items found by the university formed part of the residence's history and could be misunderstood "if not explained in correct historical context".