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Wamkelekile, Welkom
Wamkelekile, Welkom
UCT palaeontologists challenge method used to estimate age of crocodiles and dinosaurs
Do the bones of Nile crocodiles have the same number of growth marks as their age? And can such growth rings be counted to accurately gauge the age of these reptiles? Is this also an accurate method to use when trying to “age” dinosaurs and other extinct and extant reptiles? No, not according to a Scientific Reports study by Professor Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan and Dr Maria-Eugenia Pereyra of the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Cape Town (UCT).
10 Mar 2026
Media release
UCT-led study finds increase in plastic bottle pollution on Marion Island
A long-term study led by researchers from the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology found that when litter was first surveyed on Marion Island in 1984, more than half of all items came from the island’s research station. Since then, the amount of beached litter has increased substantially, but litter from the research station has decreased due to improvements in solid waste management, with local land-based litter currently accounting for less than 1% of all litter.
05 Mar 2026
Media release
How care is organised, experienced and governed amid social and economic change – UCT lecture
University of Cape Town (UCT) Professor Elena Moore, professor of Sociology in the Faculty of Humanities , will deliver her inaugural lecture, “Who cares? The directions of state-family relationships in changing times”, on Wednesday, 4 March 2026 at 17:30 SAST at the New Lecture Theatre on upper campus.
03 Mar 2026
Media release
Almost 6 000 students to graduate as UCT graduation gets under way
Approximately 5 760 students are scheduled to graduate during the University of Cape Town (UCT) Autumn 2025 graduation season, which commenced on Monday, 31 March and will continue until Friday, 4 April 2025.
31 Mar 2025
Media release
UCT professor’s lecture addresses institutional racism in higher education
Professor Shose Kessi, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Cape Town (UCT), recently delivered her inaugural lecture on the topic “S#*t happens: A decolonial feminist psychological reflection on institutional racism in higher education” to a packed audience at the Neville Alexander Building.
27 Mar 2025
Media release
UCT joins forces with French university to launch first dual degree programme in Africa
The University of Cape Town (UCT) has launched a groundbreaking collaborative dual degree programme with French university Sciences Po, marking a significant milestone in academic cooperation between Africa and Europe.
26 Mar 2025
Media release
UCT lecture to address growing public health concern of kidney disease in adults and children
Professor Mignon McCulloch, head of the Clinical Unit of Paediatric Nephrology and Solid Organ Transplantation, including kidney and heart, at the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital (RCWMCH) and a senior lecturer at the University of Cape Town (UCT), will deliver her inaugural lecture titled “First Aid for Kids Kidneys in Africa and Beyond” on Thursday, 27 March 2025 at 17:30 SAST.
24 Mar 2025
Media release
PEPFAR funding freeze will lead to 601 000 HIV-related deaths in SA, experts warn
Recent research co-authored by Professor Linda-Gail Bekker from the University of Cape Town (UCT) showed that withdrawing the United States (US) President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) support in South Africa without effectively transitioning to supported services will lead to an estimated 601 000 HIV-related deaths and 501 000 new infections in the next 10 years.
18 Mar 2025
Media release
Defending open society: UCT lecture confronts rising threats to democracy and justice
The advancement of human rights, equity and justice is critical in today's rapidly changing global landscape; a landscape faced with rising authoritarianism, shrinking civic spaces and increasing threats to democratic governance – according to renowned activist Binaifer Nowrojee, who delivered a lecture at the University of Cape Town (UCT) recently.
18 Mar 2025
Media release
Landmark global summit advances commitment to social justice in open access publishing
The University of Cape Town (UCT) Libraries, in collaboration with global partners, recently hosted the second Global Summit on Diamond Open Access (DOA), advancing a movement committed to equitable knowledge dissemination. Building on the momentum of the inaugural summit in Toluca, Mexico, this edition placed social justice at the heart of DOA, emphasising the development of an inclusive, bias-free publishing ecosystem.
13 Mar 2025
Media release
UCT lecture to address institutional racism in higher education
Professor Shose Kessi, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Cape Town (UCT), will deliver the first lecture of the year in the UCT Inaugural Lecture series on Wednesday, 19 March 2025. The lecture is titled “S#*t happens. A Decolonial Feminist Psychological Reflection on Institutional Racism in Higher Education”.
12 Mar 2025
Media release
UCT VC appointed to esteemed international academy
The University of Cape Town (UCT) staff members have recently reached various milestones, including the appointment of Vice-Chancellor (interim) Emeritus Professor Daya Reddy by Pope Francis to the esteemed Pontifical Academy of Sciences .
26 Mar 2024
Illegal cigarettes cost South African government over R100 billion since 2010
Research by the University of Cape Town (UCT) academics Dr Nicole Vellios and Professor Corné van Walbeek has revealed that the South African government has been losing billions of rands because of illegal cigarettes since 2010.
26 Mar 2024