Campus announcements
Inaugural lecture by Professor Whittal and other updates
03 June 2025Dear colleagues and students
Professor Jennifer Whittal will deliver her lecture as part of the University of Cape Town (UCT) Inaugural Lecture series on Tuesday, 3 June 2025. Read more about this and other recent developments on campus.
1. Inaugural lecture by Professor Jennifer Whittal (EBE)
Professor Whittal will present her lecture, titled “Beyond Boundaries”, on Tuesday, 3 June 2025 at 17:15 SAST in the Chemical Engineering Seminar Room on upper campus.
In this lecture, Professor Whittal will delve into the role of geospatial technologies in revealing the history of local boundaries and their ongoing impact on spatial injustice. Her talk will address shifts within the geomatics discipline, the importance of African capacity building and the complexities of high-water mark boundary disputes. Drawing from her extensive academic and professional experience, Professor Whittal invites the audience to reflect on both literal and conceptual boundaries – those constructed to navigate systems such as law, land administration and technology – and to consider how such boundaries can influence, and sometimes obscure, our understanding of complex real-world issues.
Professor Whittal, a registered professional land surveyor, is a professor in the School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics within the Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment. She is an active participant in national and international geomatics communities. She has served as president of the Institute of Professional Land Surveyors of the Western Cape and currently sits on the board of the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) Foundation. She was the founding chairperson of the FIG Mentoring Programme for Africa and will serve as technical chair for the FIG Congress to be held in Cape Town in 2026.
2. Appointment of Executive Director: Human Resources
UCT has welcomed Ms Juliet Refiloe Mhango as the new executive director for human resources (HR), effective 1 June 2025. Ms Mhango brings over 25 years of senior leadership experience in HR across diverse sectors, including telecommunications, healthcare, insurance, banking and professional services. Recognised as a strategic and purpose-driven HR executive, she has led transformative initiatives in organisational design, digital innovation and human capital development across Africa and within global operations.
Ms Mhango joins UCT from Avacare Health, where she has served as Group Chief Human Resources Officer since October 2021. In this role, she designed and implemented a global people strategy that delivered tangible outcomes, including organisational restructuring, strengthened governance frameworks and attaining a Level 1 B-BBEE rating through enterprise development and skills advancement.
She has also held executive HR roles at Cell C Ltd, Life Healthcare, Momentum Group, Sanlam Capital Markets and other leading institutions.
Ms Mhango holds a Master of Business Leadership from the University of South Africa (UNISA) School of Business Leadership and a BA in Industrial Sociology and Psychology from the University of the Witwatersrand. She is a member of the Institute of Directors South Africa and has completed several executive development programmes in coaching, organisation design and HR leadership.
- Read the full VC Desk: Appointment of Executive Director: Human Resources.
- Read Ms Mhango’s abridged CV.
3. Key info ahead of mid-year examinations
Mid-year examinations commenced on Monday, 2 June and will continue until Friday, 20 June 2025. To ensure the process runs smoothly, multiple departments have worked together to coordinate the necessary logistical arrangements.
Logistical arrangements have been made for various support services, including study spaces, security services, UCT Shuttle services, loadshedding and medical assistance.
Students and staff are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the arrangements to ensure a smooth exam period.
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