A night of elegance and affirmation at UCT’s staff awards

The Baxter Theatre fell into a rare, breath-held silence as Tshegofatso Mfazi drew her cello bow across the first note. Moments later, her voice – confident, rhythmic, and urgent – cut through the stillness with rap poetry that rippled across the auditorium.

Together with performers from the UCT Centre for Theatre, Dance and Performance at the South African College of Music, Mfazi crafted an opening that was as arresting as it was soulful.

It was the perfect overture. A reminder that at UCT, artistry and excellence do not sit on the sidelines – they lead.

The eighth UCT Staff Awards had begun.

As the final note dissolved into applause, programme director, Vincent Motholo, the university's chief financial officer, strode onto the stage, already grinning at the task ahead.

“Director – now I realise,” he joked, pointing back to the performers, “with that song speaking about money, there’s a reason why I had to be here.” The room erupted, warmed by his easy humour.

With him stood Sign Language interpreter Michelle De Bruyn, whose expressive signing would become a beloved feature of the night.

“We celebrate the exceptional colleagues who make UCT the great institution it is.”

Motholo quickly took stock of the audience – sequins, gowns, tailored suits, polished brogues for the occasion. “I know now my colleagues at UCT … not only do they wear shorts and flops,” he said, pausing for effect, “they actually can dress up.” The laughter confirmed it: this would not be a stiff, formal evening. It was a celebration.

This year’s ceremony offered an upgrade befitting its growing prestige: a full seated dinner, glinting tableware, and a theatre transformed into a banquet of gratitude. But beyond the glamour, the night carried a deeper purpose: to honour more than 300 staff members across academic, technical, research, support, and administrative roles.

“We celebrate the exceptional colleagues who make UCT the great institution it is,” said Motholoa as he welcomed dignitaries, including the Chancellor Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe, Vice-Chancellor Professor Mosa Moshabela, members of Council, the executive, and leaders from across the university.

‘Tonight, we focus on our people’

When the host, Professor Moshabela, took the podium, the applause signalled affection as much as respect. He returned the greeting warmly.

“I am shocked at how the executive is looking this evening,” he quipped, scanning the front rows. “They don’t look like this every day. I don’t know if you have ever seen Richard van Huyssteen in a suit and tie.”

“You are the people we are celebrating,” he said. “There are many spinning wheels at UCT; many moving pieces. But it will all come to nought if it were not for our people.”

He spoke directly to staff and their families, acknowledging the pressure, intensity, and invisible labour that characterise university work. “We often put you through hard labour … we demand a lot of you. And we don’t often take the time to appreciate you.”

For one night a year, he said, the institution pauses – leadership, Council, chancellor – all to acknowledge the human engine of UCT. “Tonight, can we just worry about you? And express our appreciation?”

Moshabela reminded the audience of his inaugural address almost exactly a year earlier, where he had emphasised the importance of staff stories as the core of UCT’s identity.

“These stories – your stories – will inspire generations to come,” he said. “It is not being boastful to tell them. If you must boast, boast a little.”

He encouraged staff to embrace their journeys and contributions as part of the university’s living history. “You represent the inheritance of UCT,” he said. “Its identity is captured in the stories you share. As individuals, we can do a lot,” he said, “but together we can do even better.”

He closed with gratitude not only to award recipients, but to families, colleagues, and supporters who “blow the wind beneath your wings”.

“Together,” he concluded, “we are UCT.”

A celebration of ubuntu

The chancellor stepped onto the podium with characteristic grace, greeting staff as the “backbone of the university” – a phrase she borrowed from Council member Diana Yach, whom she had just encountered in the foyer.

“This is one of my favourite occasions,” she said. “It brings something very meaningful, something very special to the fore – and that is ubuntu.”

Quoting the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu, she spoke about the power of belonging, community, and shared success.

“A person with ubuntu is affirming to others. They do not feel threatened when others are able and good, because they know they belong to a greater whole.”

“A person with ubuntu is affirming to others,” she said. “They do not feel threatened when others are able and good, because they know they belong to a greater whole.”

For Dr Moloi-Motsepe, UCT embodies this “greater whole” – a place where long service, research excellence, creative achievement, transformative work, and community contributions collectively build the university’s legacy.

Her admiration for UCT’s creative sector was unmistakable. “It runs through our blood as Africans,” she said. “Dance, music, performance. I am proud that our university gives the creative sector the spotlight.”

Awards that honour excellence and heart

Throughout the evening, names echoed across the auditorium: academics who achieved breakthrough research; teaching staff who shaped generations; administrative and support teams whose often unseen work keeps the university running; researchers, technicians, creatives, campus operations staff, and long-service veterans who have given decades to UCT.

This year’s awards captured the full spectrum of university life: from excellence in leadership to community engagement, innovation, creative works, teaching, research, and the precious milestone of long service.

Because of the sheer volume of honourees, not all awardees were called to the stage; instead, the theatre lit up as groups stood proudly to be acknowledged. Laughter followed when colleagues celebrated each other’s names with cheers, ululations, or affectionate whistles.

The sense of shared pride was unmistakable – this was not simply individual achievements, but a collective triumph.

Glamour, gratitude, and glimpses of UCT at its best

Between awards, the energy in the room was buoyed by live performances, sharp wit from many of the award presenters. Outfits shimmered beneath theatre lights; colleagues embraced; tables buzzed with warmth as staff reflected on a year of challenges, milestones, and triumphs.

The evening’s programme was beautifully punctuated by performances from the Siya Kawana Ensemble, who opened with a vibrant medley of Thanayi/Khawuleza, made famous by the legendary Hugh Masekela. They later returned to the stage with a soulful rendition of Salif Keita’s Afrika, before taking the audience on a musical journey to the scenic hills of Madziva in Zimbabwe with a heartfelt tribute to human rights activist and UNICEF ambassador Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi, performing his beloved song “Todii” – inviting guests to sing along and share in the moment.

Summary of awards:

Ad hominem promotions

UCT recognised academic excellence and advancement across several promotion categories, including:

• scientific and technical officers, research and senior research officers, and lecturers/senior lecturers
• principal clinical educators, principal lecturers, chief research officers, and associate professors.
• principal research officers and professors.

Long Service Awards

A total of 198 PASS and academic staff were honoured for their long and loyal service to UCT.

• 15 years: 118 colleagues who joined UCT in 2010 – the year South Africa hosted the FIFA World Cup.
• 25 years: 63 colleagues who began their journey with UCT in 2000, at the dawn of the new millennium.
• 35 years: 17 colleagues recognised for devoting over three decades to the institution.
• 45 years: A special tribute was paid to Terence Swartz, celebrated for an extraordinary 45 years of service and a legacy deeply woven into UCT’s history.

Academic and Creative Works Awards

• Creative Works Award: Associate Professor Amanda Tiffin (South African College of Music) for her original album Livus’umoya – The Lady Day Big Band.
• College of Fellows Awards:
  • Professor Andy Buffler – Physics
  • Professor Jeff Murugan – Mathematics & Applied Mathematics
  • Professor Jaco Barnard-Naudé – Faculty of Law
• Distinguished Social Responsiveness Award: Dr Kathryn Ewing (School of Architecture, Planning & Geomatics) for her transformative community-engaged design work, including Studio Hope Gugulethu and the iThemba Walkway.

Vice-Chancellor’s Excellence Awards

These honours celebrate individuals and teams who have made a profound impact on service, innovation, and transformation at UCT.

Service Excellence Awards:

• Sayed Hess – Environmental & Geographical Science: For exceptional leadership in operational integrity, safety, and departmental support.
• Patrick Rezandt – All Africa House: For outstanding leadership, guest satisfaction, operational improvements, and community outreach.
• Annestacia Marthinus – Molecular & Cell Biology: For strengthening waste management and safety systems through initiative and technical excellence.
• Dr Riashna Sithaldein and Dr Deepti Charitar: For jointly leading the development of the UCT Chatbot, improving access to information and enhancing student services.

Transformation Award:

• BCom in Management Studies Degree Team (Faculty of Commerce): Recognised for redesigning the undergraduate programme to boost student success and promote inclusivity. Their efforts helped 799 graduates, including 334 who directly benefited from the new structure.

In his closing remarks, Moshabela expressed deep gratitude to the awardees and the broader UCT community, emphasising the significance of their contributions across decades. “If you have not wondered what you mean to us, I hope you have an idea.”

He applauded staff whose excellence continues to advance UCT’s mission, highlighting that selecting awardees had been especially difficult. “It just shows how much good work people have done in this institution.”

Moshabela also extended heartfelt thanks to the Communication and Marketing Department team; the musicians; the Centre for Theatre, Dance and Performance Studies; and the Baxter Theatre, acknowledging their vital behind-the-scenes contributions.