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Wamkelekile, Welkom
Wamkelekile, Welkom
UCT postgraduate student wins prestigious international scholarship
A University of Cape Town (UCT) postgraduate who was named an international scholarship finalist earlier in 2026 has now secured one of the world’s most prestigious leadership-based awards, marking a defining moment in a journey shaped by purpose, resilience and impact.
20 May 2026
Media release
UCT researcher leads international effort to improve chronic disease care
The University of Cape Town (UCT) is among the institutions leading two major projects focusing on implementation science for health systems strengthening in the context of chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Funded under the 10th 2025 South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and Global Alliance for Chronic Disease (GACD) funding call, $400 000 is invested in health research to assess strategies for supporting health systems and improving equity in outcomes of NCDs care in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
19 May 2026
Media release
UCT academics back national treasury’s 20% online betting tax proposal
Academics at the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Research Unit on the Economics of Excisable Products (REEP) are in support of the National Treasury’s proposal to impose a 20% tax on Gross Gambling Revenue (GGR) from online betting in addition to existing provincial GGR taxes, which range from 6% to 9% of GGR.
19 May 2026
Media release
UCT lecture explores the formal foundations of natural language
University of Cape Town (UCT) philosopher, Professor Ryan Nefdt , will deliver his inaugural lecture, “Language, Patterns and Automata: The Algorithms Behind Linguistic Reality”, on Wednesday, 20 May 2026 at 18:00 at the Mafeje Room, Bremner Building, lower campus.
13 May 2026
Media release
UCT professor unpacks the future of Jewish life in South Africa
In an inaugural lecture in the Neville Alexander Building at the University of Cape Town (UCT), Professor Adam Mendelsohn explored how Jewish communities have evolved – and where they are heading. The lecture was titled, “Where to for the Jews?”
11 May 2026
Media release
UCT professor to explore how data shape public health decision-making
Amid growing uncertainty in public health, the director of the Modelling and Simulation Hub, Africa (MASHA) at the University of Cape Town (UCT), Professor Sheetal Silal, will present an inaugural lecture exploring how simulation models support public health decision-making by integrating data on diseases, populations and health systems to predict the impact of policy choices, offering a systems perspective on complex health challenges.
08 May 2026
Media release
UCT and HyperionDev in partnership to expand access to future-focused skills
The University of Cape Town (UCT) has collaborated with HyperionDev, a global leader in online tech education, in a strategic partnership to deliver a portfolio of high-impact, career-focused online programmes designed to equip students with in-demand digital and leadership skills.
06 May 2026
Media release
UCT researchers build multilingual AI system for SA’s official languages
A team of researchers at the University of Cape Town (UCT) has developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) language model trained specifically on South Africa’s 11 official written languages. This marks a significant step toward closing a gap that has left millions underserved by mainstream AI tools.
05 May 2026
Media release
UCT-led study reveals clues to the origin of the world’s largest diamonds
The conditions under which the world's rarest and most valuable gem-quality diamonds – referred to as Cullinan-like, large, inclusion-poor, pure, irregular, resorbed (CLIPPIRs) – form have remained poorly understood.
04 May 2026
Media release
Former asbestos miners face elevated mortality decades after exposure, study finds
A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) School of Public Health has provided new insights into the long-term health consequences and mortality experience of former asbestos miners in South Africa.
04 May 2026
Media release
New AfriGen-D platform set to transform genomics research across Africa
The University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Division of Computational Biology , in partnership with key stakeholders from the Institut Pasteur de Tunis and the University of Mauritius, will launch the groundbreaking AfriGen-D platform – a transformative initiative dedicated to advancing human genomics research, capacity building and data analysis across the African continent.
30 Apr 2026
Media release
UCT leads collaborative launch of music-based maternal mental health programme
The Perinatal Mental Health Project at the University of Cape Town (UCT), in partnership with the Institute for Life Course Health Research at Stellenbosch University, will join the Khayelitsha community on World Maternal Mental Health Day to host the South African launch of Community Health Intervention through Music Engagement for Maternal Mental Health (CHIME).
30 Apr 2026
Media release
UCT researchers uncover molecular “switch” that fuels cancer progression
Researchers from the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Scientific Computing Research Unit (SCRU) have uncovered a critical molecular "switch" that drives the formation of cancer-associated antigens. The study , published in Nature Communications , details how the spatial relocation of enzymes within a cell’s internal machinery leads to the aberrant "sugar coating" of proteins, a hallmark of cancer progression.
22 Apr 2026
Media release
Where to next? UCT professor to reflect on the future of Jewish life in South Africa
Historians often hesitate to predict the future. Yet moments of profound change invite reflection on what lies ahead. Drawing on decades of data collected by the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Kaplan Centre for Jewish Studies , Professor Adam Mendelsohn will, during his upcoming inaugural lecture, examine demographic, religious and political developments shaping Jewish life in South Africa today.
21 Apr 2026
Media release
Study points to music as support for maternal mental health
Culturally grounded, community-based music-making can be adapted to support South African women struggling with mental health issues during pregnancy and after birth. This is according to a recent formative study co-authored by Associate Professor Simone Honikman , director of the Perinatal Mental Health Project (PMHP) at the University of Cape Town, together with local and international colleagues.
21 Apr 2026
Media release
More than 40% Capetonians face high air pollution risk – UCT study
A study at the University of Cape Town (UCT) has produced the first high-resolution map of air pollution risk across the Cape Town metropolitan area, revealing that more than 40% of the city’s population is exposed to high or very high levels of air pollution. The findings are published in GeoHealth journal .
20 Apr 2026
Media release