Professor Mosa Moshabela appointed new UCT Vice-Chancellor

The University of Cape Town (UCT) has announced the appointment of Professor Mosa Moshabela as its new Vice-Chancellor. Moshabela is currently the Deputy Vice Chancellor of Research at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

His appointment comes after a unanimous decision between the council of the university and other stakeholders. He is expected to assume his duties on 1 October. Moshabela says he wants to bring stable leadership to the institution and create a good learning environment.

“For me in general, I think it’s really going to be about building a vibrant campus. That’s why I feel like building a sense of community and a community of trust and creating an enabling environment for learning, but also for research and making sure that the support systems are there.”

The University Council says it is honoured to have an individual of his calibre who will lead the institution to its 2030 vision. Council chair Norman Arendse says they are confident with Moshabela’s capabilities that he will work to maintain the status of UCT and uphold its values and principles.

“We are expecting him to continue to maintain the standing and status of this university as the premier university in Africa and one of the leading universities globally. We expect him to continue to lead the academic project and we are fortunate because if you look at his credentials, he’s an outstanding academic in his own right, leading public health specially. He played a big role during the COVID, collaborating with many of his colleagues here at the Faculty of Health Sciences. So, in all those fields we are looking at his continued leadership, and we are looking at him building some stability.”

Meanwhile, the SRC has welcomed Moshabela’s appointment but says it hopes that the new Vice Chancellor will bring long-lasting solutions to the challenges of the students.

“We would like the VC when he enters the office to start to engage and think about what could be the long-term solution to deal with the financial exclusion in the institution. There is a need for what could be a long-term solution. He needs to look at how UCT is now.

I think he needs to look at governance and transformation. I think those are the things he must look at. We are not expecting him to resolve all those things within a month when he enters, within a year when he enters but we expect him during his term to have established long-term solutions with those things and maybe be able to advance and make UCT a better institution,” says SRC President Hlamulo Khorommbi.

Source: eNCA

In other news – Gogo Skhotheni opens up on abuse

Famous MzansiDJ, reality TV star, and Sangoma, Gogo Skhotheni took to her Instagram stories on Tuesday, 22 May, to reveal that she has been physically abused.