I suppose every family has a closet filled with a skeleton or two, but for some the wrongdoings of their forefathers are less of a secret.

The grandson of Hendrik Verwoerd, the former prime minister and ‘architect of apartheid’, would certainly be well aware that his grandfather is something of a divisive figure. It seems Stellenbosch University recognised this when they removed a plaque paying homage to the former leader from a campus building, covering the hole with the national flag.

There was certainly less fanfare than when the Cecil John Rhodes statue fell, with the university still to decide what will become of the plaque. One attendee, Verwoerd’s grandson Wilhelm, was in agreement with the decision. News24 quotes him below:

I choose salve instead of salt as a Verwoerd. I see the woundedness of black South Africans.

Stellies Vice Chancellor Wim de Villiers then had this to say:

On the one hand transformation means addressing – and redressing – what was wrong in the past; on the other hand it means building a better future for all…

The most important thing is to keep talking to each other.

The transformation group Open Stellenbosch was also present, calling for movement on its proposal for alterations to the university’s language of instruction policy.

Keep talking to each other, as long as it’s in a language we can all understand.

[source:news24]