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Support sought from business leaders
1 February 2011
On 25 August at the Balalaika Hotel in Johannesburg, Chancellor Graça Machel hosted an evening for prominent business leaders, who represented both existing and potential supporters of UCT.
Addressing the gathering, Graça Machel said: "We will tell you about what we are doing and, more importantly, thank you for being a friend of UCT. You are business people who have made a mark in this country and on the continent. Thank you for being here and for your contribution. It is important for the university to be supported in many ways by its alumni and others.
"We need to have the names of African philanthropists, who are the product of the new dispensation, added to the plaques on the walls of tertiary institutions. That’s the kind of transformation which shows how far we have grown," she said.
Looking at the current situation, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Prof Thandabantu Nhlapo, advised that: "to keep our global competitiveness and reach, we need to maintain the excellence that has put us among the top 200 universities of the world.
"One of our objectives is to corner the market on African generated knowledge on African soil, on issues relevant to the continent. So our vision is to have brisk African traffic through the corridors of UCT; researchers, professors, PhDs, postdoctoral students, anyone who has an interest in Africa and in African generated knowledge."
Referring to capital projects, Prof Nhlapo advised that UCT "looks like South Africa before the World Cup – everything has scaffolding outside. We are adding new floors to existing buildings, and two new buildings are being built on Middle Campus. We will also have a new residence in Observatory and we have various other smaller projects going on."