Preparing for the long walk to transformation

Mary Burton
Former President of Convocation

"Student action has injected a sense of urgency into the quest to transform UCT and all our institutions of learning, so that they reflect the realities and meet the needs of our whole society. The passion and energy of the transformation debates which galvanised UCT in the 1990s had seemed to fade. It is time to revive that commitment once more. What is needed now, after the events directed in the first instance against the statue of Rhodes, is dedication to the serious and demanding task of building the new structures. The university community needs students who are ready for the long walk to transformation: meetings, negotiation, overcoming disagreements, strengthening the vision and creating a new kind of CODESA to enable South Africa's institutions to grow as places of learning, leadership and service to our country and our continent. I believe that UCT is prepared to meet this challenge."

Read more stories from the April 2015 edition.