Prof. Wim de Villiers

Loading player...
In this special episode, Sibu Ndudula and Shaun Daniels sits down with Prof. Wim de Villiers, the 12th Rector and Vice-Chancellor of Stellenbosch University, as he reflects on his remarkable ten-year tenure before stepping down at the end of the month.

Born and raised in Stellenbosch, Prof. De Villiers has had a lifelong connection to the university—first as a student, then as a global academic and medical leader, and finally returning to lead his alma mater. In this conversation, he opens up about the highs and lows of his leadership, including navigating major transformation movements like #FeesMustFall, the university’s evolving language policy, and initiatives in gender equality, campus safety, and visual redress.

During the interview, they also discuss the challenges of leadership, the lessons he’s learned, and what he envisions for the future of Stellenbosch University. Plus, on a lighter note, they find out his go-to song, his favourite book recommendations, and what three things he’d write down for the new Rector on their first day in office.

Tune in for a reflective and insightful conversation about transformation, leadership, and the future of one of South Africa’s top universities.
19 Mar 2025 English South Africa News · Society & Culture

Other recent episodes

First in the Family | Peer Mentoring, SOAR and Starting Without a Map

SU Student Success Initiative Series: Episode Twelve. Recorded on Friday 16 October 2026. If nobody at home has done university before, there is no one to ask the small questions. What is a module? How does registration work? Is it normal to feel this lost in week two? This conversation…
29 Oct 1 hr 09 min

Teaching for Success | What Lecturers Do Behind the Scenes

SU Student Success Initiative Series: Episode Thirteen. Recorded on Monday 19 October 2026. Nobody becomes a lecturer by being taught how to lecture. They become an expert in their field first, and the teaching comes after. This conversation is about the layer of student success you never see: how modules…
29 Oct 53 min

More Than Marks | Why Food Matters for Student Success

SU Student Success Initiative Series: Episode Eleven. Recorded on Thursday 15 October 2026. Nobody learns, belongs or thrives on an empty stomach. We talk about student success as though it lives in study methods and marks, but for a significant number of students the question that decides the year is…
29 Oct 55 min

A Sky Full of Stars | Exam Season, and Everything This Series Taught Us

SU Student Success Initiative Series: Episode Fifteen. Recorded on Thursday 22 October 2026. Fifteen conversations, and we end where most students are right now: a week out from exams, trying to work out what to study and when. This final episode is half practical exam preparation and half reckoning –…
27 Oct 1 hr 03 min