The idea of building a skatepark near Stellenbosch University (SU) campus to accommodate local skateboarders has been brought up by students. However, it is “not on the cards at the moment”, according to Martin Viljoen, SU spokesperson.
Local skateboarders have recently expressed their frustrations, alleging that they have been approached by Campus Security (CS) with increasing frequency in 2021 when skating on campus grounds.
There have been instances in which members of CS have threatened to confiscate skateboards, or even arrest skateboarders, claimed Jack Linney, a second-year student at the The Institute of Marketing Management.
The increase in the number of skateboarders on campus can be attributed to lockdown, during which people were “encouraged to get back on a board”, claimed Jack Linney, a second-year student at the The Institute of Marketing Management at Stellenbosch University. PHOTO: Erin Walls
“I have been stopped three times this year [whilst skating], where [CS] threatened to confiscate my board,” said Tom Lee, a fourth-year LLB student.
A make-shift skate park on the tennis courts
Due to the lack of skateboarding facilities around campus, a makeshift skatepark has been constructed by skateboarders on the university tennis courts, said Linney. Various objects have been placed on the court for individuals to skate on and around, he said.
“The university does not have a problem with people who do use skateboards per se,” said Viljoen in email correspondence with MatieMedia. “The challenge, however, is that [skateboarders] make use of areas that are not intended for skateboarding, such as the [university] tennis courts.”
Some of the student skateboarders acknowledged that the makeshift skatepark is an “eyesore”, but still saw the increasingly “aggressive approach” towards them by CS as unnecessary, according to Linney.
Due to the lack of designated skating facilities on Stellenbosch University campus, students have made use of the university tennis courts. According to Martin Viljoen, spokesperson for SU, this has caused damage to the surface of the courts. PHOTO: Wilhelm Schumann
Threats of arrest towards students
“We were quite abruptly and aggressively chased off, as well as threatened with arrest and being put into CS holding,” claimed Linney. “CS also tried to take my friend’s [skateboard], but he didn’t give it to them, as he was not sure what rights CS has to confiscate his property,” he added.
Viljoen told MatieMedia that “there is no specific protocol” in regards to arresting students. CS staff who encounter skateboarders on the tennis courts would first request that the skateboarders leave, he said.
“Unfortunately, there are skateboarders who would simply disregard these requests. Only when informed that they are at risk of being arrested on charges of intentional damage to property, will they leave,” said Viljoen.
Viljoen confirmed that CS has noted a rise in the number of skateboarders on SU campus.
“I believe lockdown motivated people to start skateboarding, which is why I think there has been an increase [of skateboarders on campus],” said Linney.
A skateboarder can be seen in the middle of an intersection in Stellenbosch. Martin Viljoen, spokesperson for SU, claimed this is against the law. PHOTO: Erin Walls
The possibility of accommodating skateboarders on campus has also been discussed with the Stellenbosch Monitoring and Advisory Committee on Crime, said Viljoen.
“Investigating the possibility would depend on various factors such as skateboarders organising themselves into a club of some sorts and then approaching the [Stellenbosch] Municipality and SU,” said Viljoen.
“Our understanding is that the Traffic Department needs to deal with the issue…for example, of skateboarders making use of public roads on a regular basis, which is against the rules,” said Viljoen.
MatieMedia reached out to the Stellenbosch Traffic Department for comment, but they had not responded by time of publication.