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Wamkelekile, Welkom
Wamkelekile, Welkom
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
New tests could slash SA’s TB deaths by two-thirds, UCT study finds
A new study led by University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Associate Professor Leigh Johnson suggests that new tests, which can be performed in clinics on either tongue swab or sputum specimens, could reduce TB incidence by as much as 49% and TB mortality by as much as 67%, over the next 15 years.
21 Sep 2026
Media release
Ouch! One in seven hospital patients in Africa suffers severe pain
Being admitted to the hospital is supposed to bring relief. But for thousands of patients across Africa, hospital care comes with another burden: severe pain. A landmark study led by the University of Cape Town (UCT) found that two-thirds of adults admitted to hospitals across Africa experienced pain, while one in seven suffered severe pain.
21 Sep 2026
Media release
UCT to host global dialogue on the future of universities in the age of intelligence
In just under two weeks, the University of Cape Town (UCT) will welcome senior leaders from across the global higher education community at the Times Higher Education (THE) World Academic Summit (WAS) 2026 – the first time ever this global convening will take place on the African continent.
16 Sep 2026
Media release
UCT student takes SA student voice to global AI and education debate
A University of Cape Town (UCT) postgraduate student is helping to shape international conversations about artificial intelligence (AI), Open Education and the future of higher education through her work with a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) network.
16 Sep 2026
Media release
UCT expertise contributes to charting the future of genomics in Africa
The future of precision medicine depends on understanding the genetic diversity of the people it aims to serve – yet African populations, which represent some of the greatest human genetic diversity in the world, have historically been among the least represented in genomic research and reference datasets.
15 Sep 2026
Media release
Manuel and Sachs among speakers at UCT hosted African Inequality Review launch
The University of Cape Town (UCT) will co-host a high-level gathering of policy stewards and research experts to take stock of what African policy leaders need from inequality research on Tuesday, 15 September 2026 at the Protea Hotel by Marriott, Waterfront Breakwater Lodge, Cape Town.
14 Sep 2026
Media release
Institutions and conflicts are determinants of external debt in the SADC – UCT study
A University of Cape Town (UCT) doctoral study in Economics has found that apart from macroeconomic factors, institutions and conflicts are important determinants of external debt in the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
14 Sep 2026
Media release
Agulhas Current may have ‘softened’ Cape Town’s devastating 2023 floods
A powerful ocean current thousands of kilometres from the communities hit by the Western Cape’s devastating 2023 floods may have helped to limit the severity of the disaster, according to new research from the University of Cape Town (UCT).
14 Sep 2026
Media release
UCT study explores reform in data laws for development and innovation in SA
A University of Cape Town (UCT) study examining the role of law in regulating data – within the evolving digital ecosystem of the Fourth Industrial Revolution – has found that South Africa’s data regulation efforts remain fragmented and outdated.
10 Sep 2026
Media release
Stokvel members’ use of digital technologies does not take away their traditions – UCT study
Technology, so often blamed for eroding culture, can be a powerful tool for cultural survival when communities control it on their own terms, a University of Cape Town (UCT) PhD study in Information Systems by Pitso Tsibolane, a senior lecturer in Information Systems and associate of the Centre for IT and National Development in Africa (CITANDA), has found.
09 Sep 2026
Media release
UCT doctoral graduate’s app to protect patient information from abuse
Despite enaction of the Data Protection and Privacy Act (DPPA) 2019, Uganda's healthcare sector still faces persistent challenges with data privacy and security violations driven by staff misuse of digital platforms and other factors. This has led to low compliance among hospital employees, widening the gap between regulatory frameworks and practical implementation.
09 Sep 2026
Media release
Karoo farmer aged 80 earns UCT master’s degree after researching drought’s toll on farmers
After more than five decades of farming in the drought-prone Upper Karoo, 80-year-old Charl Johannes van der Merwe will graduate from the University of Cape Town (UCT) with a Master of Commerce in Economics, having turned his first-hand experience of drought into research on its economic and psychological toll on farming communities.
08 Sep 2026
Media release
Beyond the forecast: UCT study calls for climate services rooted in local knowledge
Climate services help people make informed decisions in response to climate risks. Across Africa, people involved in nature-based solutions – such as restoring and sustainably managing rural and urban landscapes – increasingly rely on these services. However, climate services can fall short if they are not designed in partnership with researchers, practitioners and communities.
08 Sep 2026
Media release