I was asked by Jean van der Walt (newly appointed HC member of former Majubane) to write an article reflecting on my time in Majuba. I was quick to agree, but to be honest, it is a near impossible task to capture my time in one article – especially considering that it took me a mere decade to complete my degree … but here goes …

The question is, where to start and what to focus on? 

Adventures in Ysbeer (Wild Child’s preferred mode of transportation); late-night streaking on Nemesia’s roof; Pool is cool by Hoole, Pool is zef by Def and later Pool is pret by Ed; Skellie’s never-ending motions during house meetings lasting until the next morning; the revenge of Die Nader on Prodgiday; the Sauer Saga; Combo 5s and gatsbys at De Vos; vark-ore uitdeel; nicking number plates; aartappelgeweer wars against Dagbreek; the feared Yogi; “legal“ storeroom residents; Internationals chaos; outrage regarding the Piccadilly Gang of the Year announcement; Doc Simon not able to dodge a butter missile directed by Die Supersportman; Vuilhond Lounge at Koelewijn;Rippies & Riel; girls in washing machines; dodgy pre-release season premiere episodes loaded on DC++; the Super-Sosiale Komitee (SSK) and the tyre seating we’re still waiting for (thanks Piet Spyker); a R200 bill from the Sportklub after a Sauer victory (at R6 a beer, you do the maths); quad cricket, quad showers … I decided to focus on what I gained from the above-mentioned adventures, and more, in my time at Majuba.        

Recently, my attention is drawn to the value and sharing of peoples’ stories – how we learn a great deal about ourselves and each other. The more diverse the stories, the better the learning opportunity. Within a small community, like Majuba, story sharing is organic, whether in hallway meetings, conversations on the PAV (pavilion), on the balcony or in the dining room.

Coming from Moorreesburg, and with an older brother in Majuba, I knew I wanted to stay here before I knew what to study. Recently a friend of mine said, during that time, Moorreesburgers did not study or apply for Stellenbosch University, we went to the University of Majuba.

At 18, I thought life was as simple as rugby, cricket, braai, farming and the Moorreesburg Festival – still the best party in South Africa. I figured this was everyone’s outlook on life. Reflecting on my time in Majuba, I have to say my biggest gain as a student at Stellenbosch University, besides my degree, was the people I met and exposure to different ways of thinking and doing things.

Sometimes I regret not creating more opportunities to share our diverse backgrounds, have those difficult conversations and learn from one another in the process. If we have these conversations in a place like Majuba, we could be the ones facilitating similar conversations within the workplace. I guess topics like diversity sometimes gets lost in all the good times and, while I am a firm believer in good times, I do think balance is important. The guys responsible for the ABB slogan, have a point: Let’s write the future .

The nice thing about res is you are ‘forced’ to live with people for long enough to get to know them and become friends. People you would not necessarily befriend in a ‘normal’ situation. I guess the challenge in my current context is to remember what I gained by making friends with people from different backgrounds and to use this as motivation to continue the process. 

In the real world, we do not have the luxury of being ‘forced’ to live with 150 other people, but that should not prevent us from exposing ourselves to different ways of thinking by engaging with people. Is this not one of the major advantages of living in a Rainbow Nation? Come to think of it, I actually have no excuse not to engage in mind-expanding conversations, because ‘forced’ engagements take place at work, social gatherings, sports club … all of the time.

To the guys in Majuba: please make sure you utilise the wonderful opportunity that Majuba offers, maybe even more than I did.

We will always have Majuba and the experiences we shared, creating commonality and having a platform for open-minded discussions on difficult topics without judgement. Recently, I met a former Majubaan for the first time in 13 years. I was amazed that we could reminisce about the good times we had, but also discuss where we are now and our current way of thinking. The moment the conversations get too heated, we can take a break from the discussion and circle back to R6 beers at the Sportklub with a Sauer victory in the bag. How is that for privilege?

I am really looking forward to an old Majubane kuier soon!

Witduif greetings,

Jean Dippenaar (Die Melkman)