Summit highlights ubuntu

It was a fitting end to the Times Higher Education (THE) World Academic Summit (WAS) in Cape Town as the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) deputy-vice-chancellor for People, Culture and Society, Professor Elelwani Ramugondo, joined the final panel on day three. 

The summit, which started on 29 September and ended on 1 October, undergirded values of ubuntu. It’s a pattern reflected in what the leader of the institution, Vice-Chancellor Professor Mosa Moshabela, consistently says on various platforms: that students must remain the first priority as custodians of Africa’s best. 

Professor Ramugondo was on a panel about advancing justice, civic engagement and inclusive knowledge practices. “We do not have wiggle room [about looking away] when the students we teach tell us to look at what is happening around us. We cannot say it has nothing to do with us. We are humanity, globally. 

“Our people strategy [at UCT] is about humanising, and we do not want to take it for granted. We have a lot of unlearning to do, but at the same time, we are learning. We accept that a university must be a place for contestation. We disagree without being disagreeable. It can be done; if you can recognise your woundedness and affirm another’s humanity, it can happen.” 

Necessary and generative 

City of Cape Town mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis, said: “One of the sustainable ways to build and grow ourselves out of inequality is through the excellence and innovation that comes out of the higher education engine in the country, and that is one of the contributions higher education can have. It’s really important that universities remain a place of aspiration.” 

Professor Thokozani Majozi, UCT’s deputy vice-chancellor for Research and Internationalisation, echoed a standing theme. “The last few days have presented us with a rare opportunity. It was a convergence of leading minds to deliberate on issues that confront us equally regardless of our territorial positioning. The overarching theme of this summit underpins all of our aspirations. [We deliberated] on matters of urgency and survival. They leave us with no option but to face them head-on. And we have to do so to secure the future of those who come after us.” 

Co-host, Professor Evelyn Welch, vice-chancellor of the University of Bristol, commented: “The days have been met with consequential conversation. It [THE] is taking place for the first – but I am sure not for the last – time on African soil. You have all stayed for discussions on artificial intelligence, existential threats to the very existence of universities and inequality of access. You have also stayed [to hear] uplifting discussions about ubuntu. We have spoken about how we can preserve our communities, but above all, how we can serve our futures.” 

What’s more, delegates spoke with each other and shared ideas. In the words of Professor Majozi: “Know that the doors of Africa’s top-ranked university remain open for collaboration.” 

Titbits: 

• Simply the best: UCT placed 147th out of 2 297 universities ranked this year. This represents a rise of 17 places from its 2026 position of 164th and marks its highest-ranking position in the past six years. 
• The penguins: In his opening, Professor Moshabela told delegates to go sightseeing – and that includes seeing the penguins. 
• Government takes note: Higher education and training minister, Buti Manamela, said: “Government must protect academic freedom and create the conditions for teaching, research and innovation to flourish.” 

The next summit is scheduled for October 2027 in Stockholm, Sweden, at KTH Royal Institute of Technology.