Professor Robert John Balfour, Rector and Vice-Chancellor Inauguration Booklet by University of the Western Cape

Professor Robert John Balfour

INAUGURATION

AS RECTOR & VICE-CHANCELLOR of the UNIVERSITY OF THE WESTERN CAPE

NATIONAL ANTHEM of the REPUBLIC of SOUTH AFRICA

Nkosi sikelel' iAfrika Maluphakanyisw' uphondo lwayo, Yizwa imithandazo yethu, Nkosi sikelela, thina lusapho lwayo.

Morena boloka setjhaba sa heso, O fedise dintwa le matshwenyeho, O se boloke, O se boloke setjhaba sa heso, Setjhaba sa South Afrika - South Afrika.

Uit die blou van onse hemel, Uit die diepte van ons see, Oor ons ewige gebergtes, Waar die kranse antwoord gee,

Sounds the call to come together, And united we shall stand, Let us live and strive for freedom, In South Africa our land.

Cover: Shelly Sunset, an original work of art by Prof Robert Balfour.

PROGRAMME

RECTOR’S INAUGURATION

PROGRAMME DIRECTOR:

Dr Nita Lawton-Misra

Academic Procession enters Hall

Chancellor constitutes the congregation

National Anthem

Prayer

Welcome by the Chancellor

Rector and Vice-Chancellor is Robed

Chairperson of Council Introduces the Rector and Vice-Chancellor

Rector and Vice Chancellor delivers his address

Musical item by the UWC Creative Arts Choir

Tributes

• Chairperson of Council – Ms Xoliswa Mpongoshe

• Senate Representative – Prof Sarojini Nadar

• Convocation President – Mr Mangaliso Nompula

• Chairperson of UWCEU – Mr Ayanda Takane

• SRC President – Mr Mcntosh Khasembe

Musical item by the UWC Creative Arts Choir

Tributes

• Mayor – Honorable Executive Mayor, Mr Geordin Hill-Lewis

• USAf Board Chairperson – Prof Francis Petersen

Vote of thanks

The Chancellor Dissolves the Congregation

Procession leaves the Hall

Refreshments will be served

A MESSAGE from the CHANCELLOR

ARCHBISHOP THABO MAKGOBA

With joy and gratitude, I congratulate and warmly welcome Professor Robert Balfour as he assumes the role of Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Western Cape (UWC). This is a moment of renewal and opportunity for both Professor Balfour and the university community he now leads.

UWC has a proud legacy deeply rooted in the pursuit of social justice, transformation and academic excellence. From its origins as a space of resistance during apartheid to its present-day status as a globally recognised institution of higher learning, UWC is a beacon of hope and empowerment, a place where knowledge is pursued not only for its own sake but harnessed for the upliftment of our people and the betterment of society.

Leadership in higher education involves major challenges, among them the cost of an education for excellence. Here at UWC we are already working together to raise funding for students through Ikamvaletu, a student-owned and university operated scholarship program. Carrying this forward is just one of the many challenges of our times which demand resilience, courage and a vision that embraces both continuity and change.

In grappling with these challenges, Professor Balfour brings a wealth of experience, a commitment to inclusivity, and a deep understanding of the power of education to transform lives. As he takes up this mantle, I am conﬁdent he will uphold and further the values that make UWC an institution of excellence and impact.

To our students, faculty, and staff: this inauguration is not only about welcoming a new leader but also about reaffirming our shared commitment to the ideals that define us.

Let us work together in a spirit of unity, curiosity and innovation. May we continue to build a university that remains true to its mission—one that nurtures critical thinkers, ethical leaders, and compassionate citizens.

Professor Balfour, may you lead with wisdom, humility, and a steadfast commitment to justice. As you embark on this journey, be assured of my prayers and unwavering support.

The Most Reverend Dr Thabo Makgoba, Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town.

A MESSAGE from the CHAIRPERSON of COUNCIL

MS XOLISWA BUYISWA UPHINDILE MPONGOSHE

Today is an important moment in the life of our university. It is a time for us to reﬂect on where we have come from, and to look ahead to the future. In many ways, this day represents renewal, ﬁlled with purpose and the promise of progress. As Chairperson of Council, it is my privilege and joy to welcome Professor Robert Balfour as the 8th Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the University ofthe Western Cape (UWC).

Professor Balfour brings not only extensive expertise and outstanding leadership but also a vision that speaks to the core values and aspirations of this institution. His appointment signals the beginning of a new chapter, one that holds great potential for our university and the communities we serve.

Professor Balfour, your career journey is truly inspiring. Not only have you excelled as an academic and leader, but your work in advancing multilingualism, decolonisation, and inclusion in higher education is also remarkable. Through it all, you have shown a clear commitment to making education a force for positive transformation in our country. Your work reminds us that true leadership is not about titles or positions but about the impact you make and the lives you touch.

In my culture, we say: “Umntu ngumntu ngabantu,” which means, “A person is a person through other people.” This proverb speaks to the importance of community and collaboration.

As you step into this important leadership role, may these words inspire you to build partnerships and unity within the UWC community and beyond.

Please know that you are not walking this journey alone, Professor Balfour. Behind you stands a community deeply rooted in social justice, inclusivity, and, above all, excellence.

We are ready to support you on this journey. We trust that under your leadership, UWC will continue to thrive as a space for critical inquiry, innovative research, and meaningful engagement with the challenges we face as a nation.

On behalf of the University Council, I oﬀer our full support as you begin this exciting new chapter.

May your vision for UWC light new pathways, and may your time here be marked by growth, resilience, and above all, great success. Congratulations, Professor Balfour, and welcome to UWC!

WHAT THE UWC COMMUNITY IS SAYING

Your inspiring message reminds us of the shared responsibility we all have to build a brighter, more transformative future. As we step into 2025, your call to action—centering academic excellence, empowerment, and community collaboration—resonates deeply.

— Elmie Castleman

Best university ever. I miss it. And I like this new rector … he’s cool

— @nuhaafuentes

An exciting journey lies ahead under the leadership of Prof Balfour and his executive leadership team at UWC. I remain very proud to be part of this new chapter in the visionary future of UWC for the Western Cape, South Africa, Africa and beyond. In the words of Dhirubhai Ambani, I believe: ‘Our dreams have to be bigger. Our ambitions higher. Our commitment deeper. And our eﬀorts greater.’

— Mornay Roberts-Lombard

Excellent academic and a genuinely solid human being! Best of luck to Prof Balfour as he leads the University of the Left!

— @MlamuliSA (Prof Mlamuli Hlatshwayo)

I'd listen to My Rector anytime of the day

— @skhokele_07

I really like your hats and the reﬂexive, authentic and open engagement you make with us as your colleagues through this introductory video. Solidarity and courageous leading for change come through strongly. Thank you.

— @karencollett2575

Image: Shelley Christians

UNDER THE WIDE-BRIMMED HAT: A VISIONARY LEADER'S COMMITMENT TO UWC

PROFESSOR ROBERT JOHN BALFOUR

By Nashira Davids

One might assume that someone whose daily attire includes a wide-brimmed hat and a bow tie is cultivating eccentricity, indulging in a touch of self-regard, or making a sartorial statement. Among the notable wearers of such accessories are Sir Winston Churchill, Marlene Dietrich, Cam Newton, Sol Plaatje, David Kramer and Professor Robert John Balfour. Yet for Prof Balfour, UWC’s new Rector and Vice-Chancellor, the hat is less about fashion and more about practicality: “I think of hats as occupational health and safety gear, given that I burn in the sun so easily. If you see me with a hat, it’s not necessarily for fashion - though that is a happystance.”

Since late last year, he has explored every corner of the campus, meeting staﬀ and students and getting acclimated to the erratic Cape Flats weather patterns, often sans his bowtie, for which he has an inexplicable adoration. He reminds one of the Cape Town saying: “So plat soos ‘n Minora blade”. In other words, he is humble, an open book, and ready to make UWC, with its rich heritage of being the home of the intellectual left, more than just his home. “My contribution to UWC’s legacy would be to create the climate to revitalise the debate about the relevance of the left in the twenty-ﬁrst century where capitalism seems hegemonic; it

seems to be largely unaccountable, very exploitative and damaging to the environment, to people, and to relations between people. Even so, for me, the intellectual project about the left's contribution is more than only a critique of what is wrong with capitalism. It's about imagining a better future for ourselves. It’s appropriate for UWC to be the place where that imagining infuses with teaching, community engagement and research.”

His goal for the institution, which turns 65 this year, is deeply personal and stems partially from his personal journey of self-acceptance, symbolising hope and the possibility of transformative change for others who feel excluded. As an only child born in Johannesburg and who grew up in rural Mpumalanga, he was sent to a Catholic boarding high school in Pretoria because his parents worried about a lack of socialisation in the 1980s.

It was the heyday of corporal punishment, and the school was a “brutal space”. However, as a young man who loved art and books, the quality of education there satisﬁed his academic appetite. Socially, he formed close friendships with the “loners and misﬁts” to survive the polarising environment.

experience of seeing what could happen made for fear; fear about being yourself as a gay person,” Prof Balfour revealed.

Later in life, when he started university, he realised that spaces and perceptions would not change if he remained silent. And so, he bravely lived as an openly gay man. While he found support among the LGBTQIA+ community and women, he still walked a lonely road. Ironically, the lessons he learned at boarding school illuminated his path.

self-discipline and a keen academic interest.”

He went on to study language, education and art and ﬂourished as an academic, making crucial contributions to multilingual policies and curriculum development. His research focus – which includes language education and policy, postcolonial literature and rural education – reﬂects his commitment to advancing educational equity and social justice in

South Africa and beyond. Thus, he explained, joining UWC had always been his dream given that since its inception during apartheid, the institution has committed itself to critical inquiry about justice, decoloniality and education transformation.

Prof Balfour emphasises that the university has the potential to play a central role in addressing systemic inequities and integrating marginalised intellectual traditions into the curriculum. He further underscores the importance of creating intentional opportunities for women, LGBTQIA+ individuals and ﬁrst-generation students, viewing their inclusion as a chance for restitution and redress. His vision for UWC, therefore, is one of collaboration, thoughtful planning and shared responsibility to build a more inclusive and transformative academic environment that aligns with its historical and intellectual legacy.

“When we talk about a place where Africanisation of the curriculum, decoloniality, decolonisation, multilingualism, gender and diversity

could make sense in terms of coming together, that is what UWC represents for me. And it's enormously exciting. I have to say what a wonderful chance it is in life to come to a community of scholars and students who, I'm assuming, have similarly chosen to be here rather than elsewhere because of the values and the history of the place.”

True to his candid nature, he admits that his dreams are big and he does not have all the answers. However, he is confident that students, communities, staff, intellectuals, activists and leaders will join him. “Leadership cannot be about ego. It has to be about community. That is going to be difficult and probably characterised by failures as much as successes.”

As he settles into his role as the eighth Rector and Vice-Chancellor of UWC, Prof Balfour will undoubtedly wear many hats throughout his tenure. However, his paramount aspiration is to provide leadership that cultivates an environment where all can ﬂourish under the intellectual canopy of the University of the Western Cape.

ON BEHALF of SENATE

PROF SAROJINI NADAR

I am pleased to welcome Professor Robert Balfour to the University of the Western Cape (UWC). Your appointment comes at a time when the global political landscape is shifting ever further to the right, when knowledge is too often detached from ethical responsibility, when scientiﬁc inquiry is stripped of its broader social and moral imperatives, and when universities are pressured to prioritise market-driven agendas over their fundamental role in advancing critical thought and social responsiveness.

In this moment, it is heartening to welcome a leader who conﬁdently steps into the legacy of our past leaders, including our most recent vice-chancellors and leaders who understood that education was not simply the accumulation of knowledge, but rather, as Bell Hooks reminds us, a practice of freedom.

UWC defies a singular, fixed identity, yet its history, particularly its role in the Struggle against apartheid, has undeniably shaped it into an institution where social justice and rigorous scholarship are not merely ideals, but deeply embedded commitments. This is not a recent shift, nor a response to fleeting academic trends; it is integral to our intellectual and ethical DNA. Across our facultieswhether the natural sciences, human and

health sciences, law, management, or education - our scholarship is grounded in a vision of the university as a force for the public good. Knowledge here is not a commodity to be ranked, repackaged, or marketed, but a means of rigorous and transformative engagement with the world.

Resilience has often been used as an adjective to describe UWC: our ability to endure, to resist, and to persist despite systemic inequalities. This history of endurance is significant, but perhaps it is time that we begin to imagine something beyond resilience. Resilience cannot be an indefinite expectation, nor should survival be the only measure of our success. Under your leadership, I hope we will move beyond the necessity of endurance to the possibility of flourishing. I hope we will be defined not by what we can withstand but by what we cultivate and nurture.

The UWC Nature Reserve, with its rich Cape Flats biodiversity, oﬀers an apt metaphor. Growth here is not forced or manufactured; it is adaptive, deeply rooted, and organically sustained by its surrounding ecosystems.

In the same way, our intellectual and institutional ﬂourishing can emerge not from external demands, but from the

resources, commitments and shared values already embedded in who we are.

To have a Vice-Chancellor who loves poetry, who values post-colonial thought, and who understands that language is never neutral but always political, is a profound gift to this university. We look forward to the refreshing and principled

leadership you will bring - one that resonates with UWC’s commitment to knowledge that interrogates rather than simply accommodates, and to a scholarly tradition that serves the world beyond itself.

Welcome to UWC. May this be a place where you too, ﬁnd the space to ﬂourish.

A MESSAGE from the PRESIDENT of CONVOCATION

MR MANGALISO NOMPULA

The Alumni of the University of the Western Cape (UWC) welcomes you as the new Rector and Vice-Chancellor of this prestigious institution. We also invite you on the new journey convocation has embarked on, which seeks to draw nearer the rich alumni base on which our university prides itself.

Your support and expertise will help reclaim our alumni space and reconnect the University with our esteemed alumni community. We wish you the best with your new responsibilities and preach the spirit of collaborative eﬀort in raising the UWC ﬂag to even greater heights.

A MESSAGE from the UNION CHAIRPERSON

MR AYANDA TAKANE

As the workers of this institution, we want

hopes in your commitment to creating an environment where every member of this community — students, staﬀ, and faculty alike — can thrive and contribute meaningfully to the legacy of UWC.

A MESSAGE from the CHAIRPERSON of

UNIVERSITIES SOUTH AFRICA (USAF)

PROF FRANCIS PETERSEN

Professor Balfour, you are a scholar in the truest sense – someone whose intellectual curiosity has shaped both your academic journey and your approach to leadership.

Your immersion in disciplines as diverse as applied linguistics, education and post-colonial literature has not been merely to master them, but to challenge, interrogate and expand the boundaries of knowledge.

Your work has often engaged with questions of identity, transformation and access – questions that remain central to the role of higher education in our country.

Yet, what sets you apart is not just your scholarly depth but your creative spirit. As a poet and a painter, you remind us that knowledge is not just something to be acquired but something to be expressed, shaped and reimagined.

This fusion of intellect and artistry gives you a rare ability to see beyond the immediate, to interpret the present with nuance, and to envision a future that is both bold and inclusive. These are precisely the qualities that deﬁne great leadership.

As you take up this role, you do so with the trust and support of the entire higher education community. Your leadership will no doubt leave an indelible mark – not only on this institution but on the broader academic landscape. Congratulations, and may this be the beginning of an impactful and inspiring tenure.

EXCERPT from the RECTOR and VICE-CHANCELLOR’S SPEECH

The University of the Western Cape (UWC) has aﬃrmed values that are core to the human condition: the creativity and generosity of the human spirit, solidarity amongst the oppressed, equal opportunity and aﬃrmation, especially of those marginalised in society.

From that struggle has come an aﬃrmation that the incredible human wealth of the academy – from a UWC perspective - is an open wealth; a common-wealth as it were; it is welcoming, and its expertise rests in the service of communities, professions and work for the common good.

Our University is South Africa’s prized protea ﬂower in its African garden. Above all, UWC graduates love South Africa as a place of hard realities and high aspirations; in that love, they commit to the place and people. As I stand here today, I want to pledge my commitment to the values underpinning the academic project.

Ours is not a place devoted to ideas of excellence that are destined to become the privileges of an elite, where knowledge is made to be self-serving, or where access to education is withheld. Instead, UWC is a place of plenty, despite a context of resource limitations, and an excellence for all because we realise that even the graduate whose personal best is a 50% pass is able to uplift society and transform it for the better. Everything we do as the collective of academic and

support leadership should be seen and experienced as serving our public mandate of trust—to provide an excellent education, an array of opportunities for research, impact, innovation, and an elevating and inclusive experience of engagement with our communities. Stewardship of our resources and custodianship of our public mandate are critical for our work.

It is often recalled that he saw that the University of the Western Cape should be “an intellectual home for the Left.” We should also recall that his address was an aﬃrmation of the need for the intellectual life of a public university to be integrated with and emerge from the experience of the people—all the people.

This, in my view, is a call to us to refocus our attention on the historical legacy of the University, not as an artefact of the past, but as a set of commonly shared values forming the basis of a new research and socially informed agenda.

My address today is an invitation to participate in an organised process of

reﬂection—reﬂection on a range of matters important for the intellectual tradition of UWC and matters important for the future relevance and future sustainability of our University.

Watch Professor Robert Balfour reﬂect on his transformative leadership journey.

UNIVERSITY TIMELINE

1960: The University College of the Western Cape, headed by NJ Sieberhagen, opens its doors.

1970: The institution gains independent university status and is allowed to award its own degrees and diplomas.

1974: Prof Wynand Mouton is inaugurated as the new Rector and Vice-Chancellor.

1975:

Prof Richard van der Ross is appointed as UWC’s ﬁrst black Rector and Vice-Chancellor.

New Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Jakes Gerwel, declares UWC as the ‘University of the Left’. The University deracialises and opens its doors to African students.

1990: UWC becomes the ﬁrst university to award the late President Mandela an honorary doctorate upon his release from prison.

1994: The South African interim Constitution and ﬁnal Constitution are drafted at UWC.

1995:

Prof Cecil Abrahams is inaugurated as the new Rector and Vice-Chancellor.

2002: Under the leadership of Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Brian O’Connell - who was inaugurated in 2001UWC successfully resists being merged. Instead, its Dentistry Faculty is merged with that of Stellenbosch University, leaving UWC with the only Faculty .of Dentistry in the Western Cape.

2010: 10 SARChI chairs awarded to UWC, the highest number awarded to any university in SA that year (as of 2018, UWC hosts 17 SARChI Chairs).

2012: UWC is declared Africa’s Greenest Campus in the inaugural African Green Campus Initiative Challenge.

2015:

Prof Tyrone Pretorius is inaugurated as the new Rector and Vice-Chancellor.

2016: UWC’s Centre for Humanities Research is awarded the Flagship on Critical Thought in African Humanities by the NRF.

UWC is ranked number 1 in Physical Science – not just in South Africa, but for Africa as a whole – in the 2016 Nature Index.

2019: UWC Rugby makes its historical debut in the Varsity Cup, by becoming the ﬁrst team from an historically disadvantaged institution to qualify for the competition.

2020: UWC’s South African National Bioinformatics Institute (SANBI), in collaboration with researchers from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), sequenced the ﬁrst SARS-COV-2 genome in South Africa, providing a genetic “ﬁngerprint” to help us understand - and containthe spread of COVID-19.

UWC celebrates its 60th anniversary.

2024: UWC is the ﬁrst and only university team to compete in the inaugural CAF Women’s Champions League -Africa’s premier club competition for women’s football.

2025: Prof Robert Balfour is inaugurated as the new Rector and Vice-Chancellor.

STATS of the UNIVERSITY

TOTAL STUDENT POPULATION ENROLMENT

26 000 BREAKDOWN

Undergraduates

3 739 1 437

1 367

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS are enrolled at UWC.