Celebrating sporting excellence at UCT

30 October 2025

Dear colleagues and students

Each year, the University of Cape Town (UCT) comes together to honour our remarkable student athletes at the UCT Sports Awards. This annual event celebrates far more than medals, trophies or titles. It celebrates who we are as a university community – one that values excellence, resilience, balance and leadership, both on and off the field.

Sport, in its purest form, captures the essence of striving – pushing limits, rising after setbacks and learning through every challenge. It is a profound expression of resilience. Our student athletes embody this every day as they balance demanding academic schedules with early morning training sessions and late-night competitions.

At UCT, sport is not separate from our academic mission; it is an integral part of it. Through sport, our students develop teamwork, leadership, ethical decision-making and perseverance – qualities that serve them long after they leave the university. These values mirror the spirit of academic and personal excellence that defines the UCT experience.

The achievements we celebrated at this year’s Sports Awards are not the result of individual effort alone. Behind every victory stands a network of support: coaches who mentor and guide, staff who manage and motivate, families and friends who cheer from the sidelines, and peers who inspire one another to keep striving. Together, they form the foundation upon which success is built.

As the great Pelé once said, “Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice, and most of all, love of what you are doing”. These words capture the very essence of what we celebrate at UCT – a deep commitment to excellence, driven by passion and purpose.

We remain committed to nurturing a sporting culture that is inclusive, inspiring and aligned with our vision of holistic development. This means championing both high-performance sport and broad-based participation, ensuring that all students have the opportunity to engage, compete and grow.

To achieve this, UCT must continue investing in world-class sports infrastructure and expertise. As Africa’s top-ranked university, and one that proudly counts several globally competitive athletes among our community, our facilities and programmes must continue to meet international standards and reflect our ambition.

The UCT Sports Awards remind us that excellence is not achieved in a single moment of triumph, but in the countless hours of preparation – the early morning workouts, the long hours in the library, the teamwork and the courage to begin again after defeat.

I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all the award recipients. Your achievements inspire us and bring pride to the UCT community. A special word of congratulations goes to our 2025 category winners:

Rookie of the Year: Grendon Cass (Volleyball)
Service to Sport: Rowan Henry Felix (Table-tennis)
Transformation and Outreach Trophy: UCT Kickboxing Club
Team of the Year: UCT Rugby Men’s First Team
Club of the Year: UCT Kickboxing Club
UCT Performance of the Year: Ntokozo Makhaza (Rugby)
Coach of the Year: Josh Cassius Cloete (Kickboxing)
Sportsperson of the Year: Saskia Jantjes (Kickboxing) and Ntokozo Makhaza (Rugby).

Equally, I want to congratulate all other award recipients in the different categories.