The Stellenbosch University (SU) residence on Tygerberg Medical Campus, Huis Kerkenberg, will now be known as eNkanyini House.
“We’re hoping that this name can strengthen the ideology of family, unity and oneness that this community has,” said Wade du Plessis, primarius of eNkanyini House.
The SU residence was opened in 2001, but in 2016 it moved to a building on Tygerberg medical campus. At that stage, discussions of renaming Huis Kerkenberg began.
“Due to legal issues regarding the name of our residence, which used to be a different building across the road from Tygerberg Campus, we had to find a new name,” said student Nkavelo Shivambu, resident of the new eNkanyini House.
Residents of the former Huis Kerkenberg were asked to suggest a new name for the residence. Shivambu submitted the winning name, eNkanyini House.
“When the name suggestions were opened to the residents, I wasn’t initially convinced I wanted to suggest a name. After all, there’s a lot of weight placed on something as important as a university residence name. Eventually, I decided that this was an opportunity that may never present itself. One to impact generations of students to come,” said Shivambu.
Other residents feel that the name change represents a new era for the SU residence.
“I am extremely proud of the new name. It’s an opportunity that very few people are going to experience and to be part of something like that is a massive honour,” said Waldo Piater, a first-year resident at eNkanyini.
The name “eNkanyini” means, “at the marula tree,” symbolic for being “a place where [people] can stand as one”.
“As a dynamic community, we need to recognise and acknowledge the vast diversity of cultures coming together to coexist in our respective life pursuits. With the renaming of the residence and our unchanging values I thought it fitting to match the unity suggested by ‘eNkanyini’” said Shivambu.