Student leadership awards

Sterling track record: SRC president Zukiswa Mqolomba receives the Vice-Chancellor's Student Leader Award, honouring commitment to UCT's vision, mission and values, from Prof Njabulo S Ndebele.

SRC president for 2006/2007 Zukiswa Mqolomba walked off with the coveted Vice-Chancellor's Student Leader Award at the 2007 UCT Caltex Student Leadership Awards.

A highlight of the student calendar, the annual awards function honours students' extra-curricular activities.

Mqolomba has a long track record of leadership, having served on numerous student, residence and faculty committees as well as the Black Management Forum and the executive committee of the International Youth Leadership Africa Forum. She played a “significant role” in restoring credibility in the SRC.

David Watson received the Deputy Vice-Chancellor's Student Leader Award. He was chair of the Humanities Student Council and the Debating Union and involved in the UCT Treatment Action Campaign.

Nadia Oshry, and Lusanda Gwayi won the Executive Director: DSA's Student Leader Award. As 2006/2007 residence co-ordinator, Oshry was recognised for her outstanding contribution to the student body and to residences. Among other initiatives, Gwayi revived the Student Leaders Transformation Forum and was a key partner in the UCT Respect campaign.

Garikai Nyaruwata won the Most Outstanding Student Leader in Community Service. This year Nyaruwata lead a project to provide HIV/AIDS and health awareness, entrepreneurship and computer courses to unemployed young adults.

The Most Outstanding Student Leader in Media award went to Varsity deputy editor Murray Hunter for his contributions to UCT's Yale-affiliated undergraduate current affairs magazine, The Cape Town Globalist.

Lehlohonolo Pulehlhane took the award for Most Outstanding Student Leader in a Postgraduate Student Faculty Council. Under Pulehlhane's leadership, the postgraduate sector was officially recognised by the student governance structure at UCT.

The Most Outstanding Student Leader in Residence award was scooped by Nadia Oshry for building sound relations with the Student Housing Office and the University Building and Development Committee.

Fraser MacDonald won the Most Outstanding Student Leader in Sport award (see page 8).

Steve Kenyon was awarded the Most Outstanding Student Leader in a Society or Student Organisation, honouring his leadership in the area of transformation, particularly the UCT Rainbow Society, which launched a campaign against the stigma attached to homosexuality.

Portia Gama collected the Most Outstanding Student Leader in an Undergraduate Student Faculty Council for her leadership of the Engineering and the Built Environment Student Faculty Council where her focus was strongly on academic matters.