Colloquium honouring Sarah Baartman and other updates

Dear colleagues and students

The University of Cape Town (UCT) will host a special colloquium on Thursday, preceded by a Sarah Baartman Hall renaming ceremony on Wednesday during the ongoing graduations. Read more about this and other recent developments on campus.

1. UCT hosts official Sarah Baartman Hall renaming

As part of the events to commemorate the Sarah Baartman Hall official renaming, a special colloquium will be held on Thursday, 11 September 2025 at 18:00, titled “Honouring Sarah Baartman: Feminist Perspectives on Rights and Social Justice”. This event will take place at the Hasso Plattner d-school Afrika.

Seats are still available.

• RSVP to attend the colloquium.

The colloquium is co-hosted by the Chair of Council, Mr Norman Arendse (SC) and the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Mosa Moshabela. It will be moderated by Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Elelwani Ramugondo.

The impressive line-up of panellists includes Dr Neziswa Titi (African Feminist Studies, UCT), Dr Camalita Naicker (Historical Studies, UCT), Professor Síona O'Connell (School of the Arts, University of Pretoria) and Ms Charlene Houston (Centre for African Studies, UCT).

Speakers include the UCT Chancellor, Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe and the Chair of the University Naming Committee, Mr David Ansara.

This colloquium will be preceded by the official renaming ceremony on Wednesday, 10 September 2025 at 14:00 during the last ceremony of UCT’s spring graduation season.

Both events mark the culmination of a decision made in December 2018, when the UCT Council resolved to rename the hall in honour of Sarah Baartman.

The events take place during Heritage Month, and immediately following Women’s Month.

• Read the full VC Desk: UCT hosts official Sarah Baartman Hall renaming.

2. Access permissions issue on UCT websites

Please note that there are access permissions issues on UCT websites following the recent migration to Azure. As a result, some users logging into secure web pages (for example, internal vacancies or the recent transport survey) for the first time may not be automatically granted the correct permissions to access them.

What this means for you:

• If you have successfully accessed all the necessary pages recently, no action is required.
• If you have attempted to access a staff- or student-restricted page and received an “access denied” message, please use the request form to be granted the necessary permissions.

Important: Please submit a request only if you are unable to access a restricted page after attempting to do so.

The university's technical team is working to resolve this issue as quickly as possible. An update will be provided once normal permission assignments have been restored.

3. Student Wellness Service recovery walk

The Student Wellness Service (SWS) within the Department of Student Affairs (DSA), in collaboration with Recovery Walk Cape Town, invites students and staff to the SWS Recovery Walk. This event brings the campus community together to celebrate recovery and raise awareness about addiction and mental health.

The walk will take place on Tuesday, 23 September 2025 at 13:00. The start and end point is the Plaza on upper campus.

This is more than just a walk; it’s a statement that UCT stands with those who are recovering. It is an act of solidarity, compassion and awareness. Participants come together to:

• break the silence and stigma surrounding addiction, substance use challenges and mental illness.
• celebrate resilience and recovery, honouring the courage of those who continue to walk the path of healing.
• raise awareness and foster dialogue on the realities of mental health and substance use within our student community.
• promote inclusivity and hope, showing that recovery is possible and that no one should struggle alone.

Addiction and mental illness affect many lives, often silently. By walking together, the UCT community acknowledges these struggles openly, commits to reducing stigma and encourages a supportive, recovery-friendly campus culture.

Participants are urged to wear purple to show support for recovery and mental health awareness. This event is part of the lead up to the official Recovery Walk Cape Town in October.

For more information, please contact the SWS practice manager.

4. Celebrating a decade of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program

UCT, through the International Office, will celebrate 10 years of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program with a homegrown music concert on Wednesday, 10 September 2025 at 18:30 at the Baxter Theatre.

Staff, students and friends of UCT are invited to enjoy performances by Professor Dizu Plaatjies and Ibuyambo, guest artist Thongo Tutsu, and students from the UCT Ibuyambo Orchestra. Following a series of sold-out shows in 2024, this reimagined production is directed by Mhlanguli George, with co-directors Bronwen Clacherty, Keketso Bolofo, Nomapostile Nyiki and Thabisa Dinga.

The concert celebrates a decade of educating African leaders, honouring cultural heritage and South Africa’s rich musical diversity.

• Buy tickets.

5. IBF accepting new expression of interest

UCT’s Innovation Builder Fund (IBF) is now accepting new expressions of interest.

The IBF was launched in 2019 to nurture and advance UCT research projects that have demonstrated an initial proof of concept. The fund is designed to support projects assessed as commercially viable and where research outputs have either been protected or have protectable intellectual property.

This unique opportunity not only provides financial support but also aids in maturing research outputs and mitigating associated risks, thereby preparing them for later-stage funding. Successful projects will receive a grant ranging from R150 000 to R500 000 to aid their development.

Applications are welcome from UCT researchers and postgrads across all disciplines conducting innovative research with the potential for commercial application and IP protection.

To express your interest, fill out the Expression-of-Interest (EOI) template and send it to Fred Vanderpost. You may download the EOI form from the Research Contracts and Innovation’s website.

For more information about the IBF, including detailed application requirements and procedures, please visit the fund’s page

The deadline for submission is Wednesday, 15 October 2025.

Communication and Marketing Department

Read previous communications:

• From the UCT Executive
• Campus Announcements