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Wamkelekile, Welkom
Wamkelekile, Welkom
UCT-led international study uncovers gene clues to severe COVID-19 in children
Researchers from the University of Cape Town (UCT) and the University of Southampton, together with international partners, have identified patterns of gene expression associated with severe COVID-19 in children that are shared with other serious respiratory infections, as well as patterns that distinguish these illnesses.
07 Oct 2026
Media release
Social media record is not the public, UCT study on ShotSpotter finds
A fascinating research paper by the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) experts in information systems suggests that social media cannot be read as a straightforward record of public opinion on controversial technologies such as ShotSpotter, an acoustic gunshot-detection system used in marginalised neighbourhoods in Cape Town and the United States.
07 Oct 2026
Media release
South Africans spend up to R1m on weddings and R140K on tombstones – UCT study
South Africans’ love for celebration is driving a multibillion-rand economy, but a “party now, worry later” mindset is putting increasing pressure on household pockets. A new study by the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Liberty Institute of Strategic Marketing titled “The Celebrations Economy 2026” explores why South Africans celebrate, how much they spend and what this means for businesses and marketers.
06 Oct 2026
Media release
SA’s data centre boom raises questions over water, power and transparency
South Africa’s rapidly expanding data centre sector is highlighting a fundamental gap in how the country plans and regulates major digital infrastructure: there is no comprehensive public record of how many facilities are operating, where they are located, or how much electricity, water and land they use.
05 Oct 2026
Media release
World Academic Summit: UCT seeks to strengthen ties with communities
The University of Cape Town (UCT) is working to bridge a historic divide between the university and communities, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (DVC) for Teaching and Learning Professor Brandon Collier-Reed told delegates at the Times Higher Education (THE) World Academic Summit (WAS) 2026 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on Thursday, 1 October 2026.
02 Oct 2026
Media release
UCT puts Africa at the centre of global debate on universities and AI
The Times Higher Education (THE) World Academic Summit , hosted by the University of Cape Town (UCT) at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, got under way on Tuesday, 29 September 2026 – bringing around 600 higher education leaders, academics, policymakers and stakeholders from more than 60 countries to Africa for the first time to debate the future of universities in an age of artificial intelligence (AI).
29 Sep 2026
Media release
Global higher education leaders gather at UCT for first THE summit in Africa
The University of Cape Town (UCT) is on the eve of hosting the Times Higher Education (THE) World Academic Summit from 29 September to 1 October 2026, bringing more than 500 delegates and 100 speakers from universities, government, research organisations, business and civil society to Cape Town. The event will be held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre and the UCT upper campus.
28 Sep 2026
Media release
UCT’s Emerita Professor Harrison elected Fellow of Royal Academy of Engineering
University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Emerita Professor Sue Harrison has been elected an International Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng), recognising her distinguished contribution to engineering research, innovation and capacity development.
28 Sep 2026
Media release
UCT’s Professor Matjila champions maternal health through research and collaboration
Professor Mushi Matjila, head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Cape Town (UCT) and the Groote Schuur Hospital, has been committed to improving maternal health for women and adolescent girls in South Africa and across Africa.
23 Sep 2026
Media release
UCT students get 1.8m to ease financial strain
For more than 30 University of Cape Town (UCT) students, the pressure of wondering whether they will be able to return to university next year has been eased by a R1.8 million bursary initiative involving the Department of Student Affairs’ (DSA) Student Financial Aid, Eskom Rotek Industries (ERI) and KEPCO KPS.
23 Sep 2026
Media release
UCT research reduces concussions through changing tackle laws in rugby
Protecting players from injury without taking away the physical contest that makes the sport compelling forms part of the research led by University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Dr Sharief Hendricks and his colleagues at the UCT Health through Physical Activity, Lifestyle and Sport (HPALS) Research Centre and Leeds Beckett University.
23 Sep 2026
Media release
Can Africa turn its resource wealth into prosperity?
What stands between Africa’s extraordinary resource wealth and broad-based prosperity? Drawing on his research, University of Cape Town (UCT) Professor Amin Karimu’s inaugural lecture will examine how natural resources, institutions, energy and finance interact to shape Africa's development, and consider how renewable energy, climate and green finance, and private investment can support a more sustainable and inclusive development path.
23 Sep 2026
Media release
Western Cape children caught in pesticide drift
For children growing up in South Africa’s farming communities, exposure to pesticides may not end when the tractors leave the fields. A two-year study involving 533 children in three agricultural areas of the Western Cape found that household pesticide use and pesticide spray drift were consistently associated with higher levels of pesticide-related chemicals in children’s urine.
22 Sep 2026
Media release
UCT leads pan-African drive to tackle deadly infectious diseases with cutting-edge imaging
The University of Cape Town (UCT) is leading a £4.4 million, four-year pan-African research programme to give scientists across the continent advanced imaging tools to better understand and tackle some of Africa’s deadliest infectious diseases.
22 Sep 2026
Media release