Cape Town - A moment of palpable pride, celebration and optimism was expressed through cheers and ululation inside the Sarah Baartman Hall at the University of Cape Town (UCT), as the university installed its 11th vice-chancellor, Professor Mosa Moshabela.
The customary installation, co-hosted by UCT Chancellor Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe and UCT Council chair Norman Arendse, took place on Monday.
A humorous yet inspiring quip was that less than 30 years ago, Moshabela’s application for study at the university was declined.
Now, the esteemed academic, researcher and clinician scientist, was widely described as the “right leader at the right time”.
Arendse announced the appointment on May 24, after a rigorous six-month recruitment and selection process, and Moshabela officially occupied office on August 1.
Moshabela took over from Emeritus Professor Daya Reddy, who served as interim vice-chancellor since March 2023.
During his address, Moshabela gave a special acknowledgement to his late grandmother, Elizabeth Ramadimetja Madisha, who made a profound contribution to his life.
His mother, Esther, led praise inside the hall, joined by family members, while learners from the Fezeka High School Choir and Nomfundo Xaluva-Dyantyis, among others, captivated audiences with their moving performances.
Reflecting on his first days in office, Moshabela said: “In the first 100 days, initially it was quite tough. Having to meet a lot of people, dealing with a number of CCMA cases and court cases and having to broker between people because sometimes, you don't need to go to court for a lot of those things but that in itself was a manifestation of the environment that we’ve been in and I'm really hoping that going forward, it’ll be better. We are coming out of a tough financial situation, that's going better as well. We’re trying to appoint senior leadership, we’re also making progress there. We’re trying to manage the brand and reputation of the institution.”
Moshabela had sent out an invitation to former vice-chancellor Mamokgethi Phakeng, which he said was all about “healing” as an institution.
Phakeng said she was delighted that Moshabela was appointed.
“I'm here to wish him everything of the best. He is a top scholar, he is dedicated and he is what the university needs now and I felt that I wouldn't miss this for the world.”
Student Representative Council president, Thando Lukhele, said since coming into office, Moshabela has met with different departments, speaking to current and former leadership and students, to genuinely get a sense of where the university currently stands and what is needed to propel it forward.
She added that staff and students were excited to work alongside him.
Arendse acknowledged professor Reddy, who had come out of retirement to serve the university.
He said yesterday was a momentous occasion in the history of the university.
“We sought a leader with vision who can take us beyond the ambitious goals set out in Vision 2030 and into the future as a university we aspire to create and we found a leader in professor Mosa Moshabela,” Arendse said.
“His approach is one that balances vision with action and that makes him quite a formidable personality.”
