Inaugural lecture by Professor Laubscher and other updates

13 August 2026

Dear colleagues and students

Professor Maritz Laubscher will deliver his lecture as part of the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Inaugural Lecture series on Thursday, 20 August 2026 at 18:00. Read more about this and other recent developments on campus.

1. Inaugural lecture by Professor Maritz Laubscher (Faculty of Health Sciences)

Professor Laubscher will present his inaugural lecture, "Stronger together: Research as a clinician is a team sport", on Thursday, 20 August 2026 at 18:00 SAST in the Neuroscience Institute Auditorium, Groote Schuur Hospital.

In this lecture, Professor Laubscher will draw on his clinical and research experience to examine how healthcare professionals can build stronger research collaborations while managing the pressures of clinical practice. He will consider the value of bringing together clinicians, researchers and other specialists to address complex orthopaedic challenges and advance patient care, with a particular focus on the realities of delivering healthcare in resource-limited environments.

Professor Laubscher is a professor of orthopaedic surgery in the Faculty of Health Sciences and a consultant at Groote Schuur Hospital and the Cape Orthopaedic Trauma Group. He is a specialist orthopaedic surgeon with fellowship training in limb reconstruction. His research spans orthopaedic trauma, bone and joint infections, limb reconstruction and global musculoskeletal injury care. He has authored more than 120 peer-reviewed publications and is president of the South African Orthopaedic Trauma Society. He is also the incoming president of the College of Orthopaedic Surgeons of South Africa.

2. UCT to co-host inaugural All-Africa Higher Education Xchange

UCT has partnered with Applied Higher Education (AppliedHE) to launch the All-Africa Rankings Initiative, a long-term continental effort to develop an African-informed framework for recognising excellence across public and private higher education institutions. The initiative seeks to broaden how university excellence is understood and measured, considering the diverse missions, priorities and contributions of African institutions. The inaugural All-Africa Higher Education Xchange, to be co-hosted from 31 August to 1 September 2026, will mark the first step in this process.

The initiative comes at a time when universities globally are reconsidering how excellence should be measured. While global rankings provide useful benchmarks of institutional visibility, performance and accountability, they do not always capture factors such as societal impact, sustainability, innovation, graduate outcomes and public value.

The All-Africa Rankings Initiative will create a platform for university leaders, governments, industry, policymakers, researchers and communities to collectively consider what excellence should look like in African universities in the 21st century.

Read the full VC Desk: A landmark opportunity for university rankings in Africa.

3. Confirm your demographic data

In line with the Employment Equity Act and the reporting requirements of the Department of Employment and Labour, the University of Cape Town (UCT) is required to maintain an accurate workforce profile based on race, disability, gender and nationality. Staff members are therefore asked to verify the demographic information they provided to Human Resources when they joined UCT.

Access the Employment Equity Self Declaration (EEA1).

Where demographic information has changed, staff members should update their details by submitting the HR101 personal details form. Changes to nationality or citizenship should be supported by a national identity document, while changes to gender identity should be supported by the required documentation from the Department of Home Affairs. Existing staff members are also encouraged to disclose or update their disability status by completing the EEA1 form and, where applicable, arrange a confidential consultation with their HR Business Partner to discuss their disability and any reasonable accommodation that may support their participation in the workplace.

Staff members are asked to complete the form by Thursday, 27 August 2026. The process should take no more than five minutes. Where no changes are submitted, the existing information will remain on record. Staff cooperation in completing this process is appreciated.

Read the full DVC Desk: Confirm your demographic data.

4. TB Davie Memorial Lecture by Professor Ramose

UCT will host the 60th TB Davie Memorial Lecture, to be delivered by Professor Mogobe Bernard Ramose, on Wednesday, 26 August 2026 at 18:00 in the New Lecture Theatre, upper campus.

Established by UCT students in honour of Thomas Benjamin Davie, UCT’s Vice-Chancellor from 1948 to 1955 and a strong advocate for academic freedom, the annual lecture is organised by the Academic Freedom Committee (AFC) and provides a platform for engaging with issues of academic and human freedom in South Africa and beyond.

Titled Spes bona through “the Cape of Storms”, Professor Ramose’s lecture will explore the historical meanings attached to the Cape, from Bartolomeu Dias’s naming of the “Cape of Storms” to its later designation as the “Cape of Good Hope”. Drawing on African philosophy and ubuntu, he will reflect on UCT’s motto, Spes Bona, and examine how these histories continue to influence conversations about justice, memory, knowledge and freedom.

Professor Ramose is a leading South African philosopher whose work has helped advance African philosophy and bring ubuntu into global philosophical discourse. He is currently a research professor at Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University and a researcher in the Faculty of Law at the University of Pretoria.

5. The torch we carry: A Women's Month message

On Women’s Day, the University of Cape Town (UCT) honoured the 20 000 women who marched in 1956, whose courage helped shape South Africa’s democratic future. Their action was not only an act of protest, but a powerful act of nation-building, grounded in a vision of greater dignity, opportunity and justice for generations to come. Their legacy continues through the women who study, work, lead and contribute to the UCT community.

As Women’s Month is celebrated, UCT continues to recognise the resilience, sacrifice and leadership of the women who opened doors for others. The legacy of the women of 1956 calls on the UCT community to turn remembrance into action by opening doors, mentoring others, creating opportunities and supporting those who are following behind.