Wardens break with tradition

Salim Nakhjavani, new warden at Graça Machel Residence, the first male warden of a women's residence at UCT.

For the first time at UCT a male warden has taken up office at a women's residence and a female warden has done the same at a male residence.

Salim Nakhjavani and Chao Mulenga are two of a new cohort of residence wardens that will take the reins in the next weeks. Nakhjavani is warden of the new Graça Machel Residence and Mulenga is warden of College House/Kilindini.

A lecturer in the Department of Public Law, Nakhjavani's last posting was at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. He and his wife, Naseem, a paediatric registrar at the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, recently moved to South Africa. "I believe a university residence should be as much of a community as possible," Nakhjavani said.

Mulenga is a lecturer at the School of Management Studies. A third, Sanju Sobnach, has been appointed warden of Carinus (Clarinus Village and Clarendon). Others appointments are in the pipeline.