Stellenbosch businesses are unsure of how the December 2020 graduation season may impact their revenue. This is as most of the Stellenbosch University (SU) graduands will graduate virtually, said SU in an announcement on 30 September.
SU has approved a hybrid graduation cycle for December for over 6000 students. Only doctoral graduates, honorary doctorates, Chancellor’s Awards recipients and Chancellor’s Medallist’s will have face-to-face ceremonies in the SU Conservatorium, said the announcement.
December graduation is notorious for being a busy business period for Stellenbosch and the student presence is valuable to the town during this time, said Jeanerette Momberg, CEO of Visit Stellenbosch.
“It’s not only the virtual graduation that has an impact, it’s the whole lacking of the student economy which Stellenbosch is very reliant on,” she said.
The lack of parents will also impact the Stellenbosch economy, said Momberg.
“Parents, who are coming to collect their children, are missing in that specific sector of the economy and the accommodation sector,” she said.
According to Dom Mazza, owner of Gino’s Stellenbosch, they are uncertain of how the online graduation will impact their usual business, but remain hopeful that they will still be busy.
“It’s true that a lot of students won’t be in Stellenbosch, and we will lose out on that business, but I’m optimistic that there will be quite a few still in town that will support the local restaurants,” Mazza said.
For De Cameron, a local Stellenbosch restaurant, graduation plays a very big part in their busy season, said Símone Strümpher, a waitress at the restaurant. According to Strümpher, De Cameron is usually fully-booked during December because of graduation.
“What saddens me the most about the whole situation is the fact that it’s always so nice to see families getting together to celebrate a big achievement for their kids,” she said.
Andrea Luda, manager at De Cameron, said that it is the combination of virtual graduation, as well as students only returning in March, that will impact their business.
“We are going to be very badly influenced, there was no graduation [in March 2020] and there is no graduation now,” said Luda.
