Grow, glow and graduate: Tugwell Hall celebrates ‘50 years of greatness’

A home-away-from-home for generations of young women, it was in 1974 that the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Tugwell Hall first opened its doors, two years ahead of its brother residence, Leo Marquard. Destined to be 17 storeys high, but reduced to 11 after neighbourhood objections, the 45.22 m iconic tower that dominates lower campus has been a welcoming home to generations of ‘Tugwellites’ ever since. On the first weekend of October 2024, it marked #50YearsOfGreatness.

“Our building provides a community, a home-away-from-home and an opportunity for growth, and it has done that for 50 years. That is what we celebrate tonight,” said Tugwell Hall warden, Bonani Dube, in his welcoming address to those gathered for the Tugwell Hall 50th Anniversary Celebration and Excellence Dinner, which preceded Saturday’s fiesta on the UCT rugby fields.

Special guests included UCT Vice Chancellor (VC) Professor Mosa Moshabela; Deputy Vice Chancellor (DVC) for Transformation, Social Responsiveness and Student Affairs Professor Elelwani Ramugondo; the executive director of the Department of Student Affairs, Pura Mgolombane; Tugwell alumni; members of the Tugwell student leadership body; and residents of Tugwell Hall. With the theme being Tugwell’s colours of black and gold, the guests, who spilled over two dining halls, had dressed accordingly.

The evening also served as a celebration of excellence, and students were awarded for academic achievement, sports and cultural participation and student leadership. In the words of warden and Tugwell alum, Dr Khosi Kubeka: “I am so full of pride at our young women, our Tugwellites, as we celebrate and recognise excellence and leadership.

“We pride ourselves on our ability to create a safe space and home for our Tugwellites. Our secret weapon is our student leaders who are committed to serving others and ensuring all Tugwellites succeed academically, and their health, safety and well-being are taken care off,” Dr Kubeka said.

“When the bus comes to lower campus, it is not called the lower campus bus; it is called the Tugwell bus!” said Dube to a roar of applause.

Celebrating inclusiveness

“For the longest time, residents were known as the Queens of Lower Campus, and our motto was ‘my sister’s keeper’, but as a space for growth, we looked at our identity and realised not everyone identifies that way, so we came up with ‘glow, grow and graduate’. Everyone who walks through the door must feel at home,” Dube said.

“Tugwell has a unique place in my heart, as it was the first place I called home as a young woman,” said alumni guest speaker, Katlego Danke, an award-winning actress, radio DJ and TV presenter who graduated in 2001 with a BA in Theatre and Performance.

Danke described her initial welcome by the sisterhood, and the support she had when her heart was broken for the first time, all part of a growth journey – and a story wittily told. “It is the little things that created a sisterhood, ubuntu, those moments when our lives knitted together, not just in education, but in the beautiful moments over dinner, or in the laundry.”

Singer and entertainer Tandie Nkosi preluded her song with the memory of gathering with Tugwellites to watch Generations in the TV room, one of the many soapies in which Danke coincidentally performed. “I joined this world alone. I left with sisters.”

Watching television together in the days before streaming is something many alumni remember, along with sun tanning on the roof.

“It was here I experienced my first job interview, learned how to carry myself in different environments and how to use the right words when addressing others,” remembered alum Sikhonathi Thimbela in a special edition Tugwell publication. “But the most precious gift was friendship.”

Write your own story

Listen to the stories of alumni, was the advice of Professor Moshabela, who encouraged students to write their own stories.

“One day you too will recount your own stories,” Moshabela said. “You may not think you have a story in the present moment, but we are all writing the stories of our lives.

“The sun will rise tomorrow, but where you will be depends on decisions you make today.”

“Because you are at UCT, your future is already bright, but when we write a story, we are always anxious about where we will land up. Our alumni know that a qualification from UCT is a powerful instrument. The sun will rise tomorrow, but where you will be depends on decisions you make today.”

His advice was to be intentional, and to remember that our stories are also written within a network of those closest to us, therefore the community with whom they share a residence is part of their stories. He advocated for kindness, inclusivity and social justice in a diverse world and the importance of a sense of belonging.

“We are a legacy institute and that is why we look to the future. Write your story well.”

Celebrating excellence

Professor Ramugondo confessed upfront to being from rival Fuller Hall but said that when it came to the protests for the end of apartheid and the release of Nelson Mandela, it was the Tugwellites who were by their side.

She encouraged students to internalise their academic achievements when they know they have done well, but to refuse it when they know it is undeserved.

“Don’t emulate mediocrity. When you are good, you must know you are good,” she urged ahead of handing out certificates to Tugwell achievers.

As an evening that celebrated the power of community, belonging, safety, support, personal growth, leadership, fun and high achievement drew to a close, Dube announced the start of a new scholarship for future generations of Tugwellites.

And as every day ends at Tugwell, so the dinner ended, with the words: “Good night, Tugwellites” and uproarious applause.