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Wamkelekile, Welkom
Wamkelekile, Welkom
UCT researcher secures global grant to test AI solutions for youth unemployment
A University of Cape Town (UCT) researcher has secured a prestigious international research grant to investigate whether artificial intelligence (AI) can improve employment prospects for unemployed young people in South Africa, placing local youth at the centre of a global debate on the future of work.
12 Feb 2026
Media release
SA food industry not taking enough action to address obesity and undernutrition
A new scientific report by the Chronic Diseases Initiative for Africa at the University of Cape Town (UCT), in collaboration with partners from the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC), the University of the Western Cape, and LMU Munich (Germany), has revealed that South Africa’s food industry is not taking sufficient action to address obesity and undernutrition and create healthier food environments.
12 Feb 2026
Media release
UCT and Services SETA turn the sod on new African Skin Health Institute
The University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Faculty of Health Sciences , in partnership with the Services Sector Education and Training Authority (Services SETA) , will host a sod-turning ceremony on Friday, 13 February 2026. This event will mark the start of construction of the Africa Research Institute for Skin Health (ARISE) building.
12 Feb 2026
Media release
UCT student constructs three-bedroom home using soil and recycled waste
University of Cape Town (UCT) MSc student Matimba Mabonda and his team have completed the construction of a three-bedroom house built using soil and waste materials, offering a practical and scalable response to South Africa’s housing and waste challenges.
11 Feb 2026
Media release
Call for applications: Future Professors Programme
The Future Professors Programme (FPP) is a national, collaborative programme aimed at producing a critical mass of academic excellence and leadership within South African higher education. The FPP is based on an innovative approach to growing a representative professoriate through the implementation of a structured programme.
09 Feb 2026
UCT study reveals major barriers to surgical care in peri-urban Cape Town
A new study by researchers at the University of Cape Town (UCT) has uncovered significant challenges in delivering surgical care in peri-urban communities, with nearly one in three residents reporting experiencing delays in receiving appropriate surgical treatment, even when living close to healthcare facilities.
09 Feb 2026
Media release
UCT experts propose narrower beer excise tax tiers to reduce alcohol harm
South Africa’s alcohol taxation system requires urgent strengthening to address the devastating public health burden of harmful alcohol consumption, according to an analysis by researchers based at the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Research Unit on the Economics of Excisable Products (REEP) . To effectively reduce alcohol-related harm, the researchers recommend narrower beer excise tax tiers than those proposed by Treasury, higher uplift factors (multipliers applied to the base excise tax rate), and predictable above-inflation tax increases.
09 Feb 2026
Media release
New genus of sea snail discovered in the Great African Seaforest
After nearly a decade of taxonomic puzzle-solving, a team of scientists from the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) Department of Biological Sciences , Sea Change Project, the University of Tokyo and Stellenbosch University has unveiled a remarkable discovery: a parasitic sea snail that represents not only a new species, but an entirely new genus. The findings are published in the Journal of Molluscan Studies .
09 Feb 2026
Media release
