By its very nature, the university sector is a place of transition. Every research breakthrough changes our understanding of the world. Every student and staff member is a potential changemaker.

While 2023 was a year of unanticipated transition at the management level of the University of Cape Town (UCT), I am pleased to report that together with management, students, academics and professional, administrative support and service staff kept the institution on track to deliver a productive, effective and rewarding year of teaching, learning and research in 2023. A major highlight of course, was the awarding of almost 7 100 degrees – including more than 220 doctoral degrees.

UCT’s community continues to uphold the principles of our Vision 2030 strategic plan as well as pursue the three pillars of excellence, transformation and sustainability that we are deeply committed to. Our decisions around research, teaching and learning are based on our commitment to social responsiveness and the central mission of unleashing human potential to help build a fair and just society.

Long before the Sustainable Development Goals were adopted by the United Nations in 2015, UCT was already targeting our research and teaching to address the many practical challenges people face in Africa and the developing world. You will find many examples of this commitment across this publication.

In 2023, UCT students brought home prestigious awards for the ways they have found to address social needs through innovative and entrepreneurial projects they are developing, often based on what they are learning in their degree programmes.

The year 2023 was one of community building. For example, the Students’ Representative Council election yielded the highest turnout in years, at a 30.5% student participation rate. It was the year we held our first UCT Day to raise funds in support of our students through four key initiatives: 

• unlocking Futures Bursaries to assist students who have completed the full academic requirements but cannot receive their degree certificates
• student wellness support, with a focus on mental and emotional health
• gender-based violence programmes
• the Food Sovereignty Programme, which provides grocery packs each month and toiletries every second month to students in need.

Financial assistance was a top concern for many students in 2023 and continues to remain so for us. UCT continued to engage with the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) to adapt our systems to cope with the changing NSFAS operational environment.

Donors and supporters of UCT played a critical role in 2023, by continuing to express confidence in the university through their significant donations, which demonstrate that UCT remains an institution of hope for the future of South Africa and other parts of the world.

UCT continues to lead the higher education sector across Africa as the highest ranked university on the continent, despite challenges over recent years, including protests, uncertainty over government support of financially needy students, the fire of April 2021, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

I thank each and every UCT community member who has shown their support and commitment as we continue to be guided by the three pillars of excellence, transformation and sustainability. Each of you has demonstrated that we are not simply an institution, but indeed a community.

Sincerely

Emeritus Professor Daya Reddy
Vice-Chancellor interim