Stellenbosch University (formally University of Stellenbosch; Afrikaans: Universiteit van Stellenbosch) is a public research university situated in the town of Stellenbosch, South Africa. Other nearby universities are the University of Cape Town and University of the Western Cape. Stellenbosch University (abbreviated as SU) designed and manufactured Africa's first microsatellite, SUNSAT, launched in 1999.Stellenbosch University was the first African university to sign the Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities.[4] The students of Stellenbosch University are nicknamed Maties. Some claim the term arises from their maroon rugby colours: a tamatie is the Afrikaans translation for tomato. It is more likely to come from the Afrikaans colloquialism maat (meaning "buddy" or "mate") originally used diminutively by the students of the University of Cape Town's precursor, the South African College.