VC’s Campus-wide Conversations: Creating safe spaces for difficult conversations at UCT

Dear colleagues and students

I would like us to consider how we can create safe spaces in which to have difficult conversations on our campus, as a way to overcome the fractures and polarisation that have characterised our UCT community. In the next few days, we will launch facilitated VC's Campus-wide Conversations aimed at restoring unity in our community as well as to establish a new culture of compassion, kindness and ubuntu.

In recent times, the state of our relationships - among staff, students, alumni and between different groups within our diverse community - has not been optimal. A number of developments and incidents, both within and outside UCT, have led to some tensions that have at times disrupted the harmony and collaborative spirit that have long defined UCT.

While differing opinions are a natural and in fact a welcome part of any academic space, it is crucial that we approach these challenges with a spirit of open and honest conversations. It is clear that our university community must work together to rebuild and strengthen the foundations of trust, respect and cooperation. It is essential that we work towards a campus environment where everyone, regardless of their background or position, feels heard, seen, valued and respected.

What you need to know about the series:

The VC's Campus-wide Conversations will focus on multiple themes, as they emerge from you as custodians of this institution. The conversations will be facilitated by internal and external scholars, practitioners, subject-matter experts and skilled facilitators. We will adopt an approach similar to the Chatham House Rule throughout the process to maintain safe spaces for what may be difficult and challenging conversations.

The VC's Campus-wide Conversations will unfold over multiple phases and stages. The first phase will begin in December 2024 and run until June 2025. This phase will lay a foundation for subsequent phases that will anchor lessons learnt over many years.

We have secured the services of two experienced external practitioners who will work with us to unearth critical issues and concerns that impact our community. Both practitioners hold a very strong affinity to UCT and a keen interest in our success:

Professor Thandabantu Nhlapo established an academic career spanning over three decades of research, teaching, writing, public service and social activism. Professor Nhlapo recently retired as senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor at UCT, where he had also served as professor and Head of the Department of Private Law. From 2000 to 2004, he was the Deputy Chief of Mission and Deputy Ambassador to the United States of America at the Embassy of South Africa in Washington DC. Nhlapo has enjoyed two presidential appointments as Chair of the Commission on Traditional Leadership Disputes and Claims (the Nhlapo Commission), and as a full-time commissioner on the South African Law Reform Commission, where he was instrumental in the development of significant legislation in family law, including the Recognition of Customary Marriages Act, passed by Parliament in 1998. As Convenor of a Technical Committee during the constitution-making process, Nhlapo was one of the expert advisors to the Constitutional Assembly on matters relating to customary law and to traditional authorities. Their work contributed to Chapter 12 of the present Constitution. His academic research interests include African customary law and gender, women's human rights in family law, traditional values and modern constitutions, and cultural diversity under the South African Constitution. Nhlapo holds a BA degree (Law) from the University of Botswana, Lesotho and Swaziland, an LL.B (Hons) from the University of Glasgow, and a DPhiI in Family Laws from Oxford University. He was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of the University by the University of Glasgow in 2012.

Ms Nomfundo Walaza is the co-founder of Unyoke Foundation based in Cape Town. She is a clinical psychologist who has worked as an activist and a practitioner within the human rights field for more than three decades. She has held several leadership positions including Executive Director of the Trauma Centre for Survivors of Violence and Torture, CEO of the Desmond Tutu Peace Centre (DTPC), Executive Director of Peace Systems and Interim Director of Inyathelo: The South African Institute for Advancement. Since leaving the DTPC, Nomfundo has been deeply involved in mediation, conflict transformation, dialogue facilitation, peacebuilding and assisting academic institutions engage in difficult conversation around issues of transformation and decolonisation. She currently facilitates Unyoke reflective retreats for international peace practitioners and accompanies young and aspirant peacebuilders. Walaza has a keen interest in exploring African Indigenous Knowledge systems as they pertain to peacebuilding, mediation, and conflict transformation. She firmly believes that intergenerational accompaniment and support are critical in addressing Africa's intractable conflicts.

We would like to hear from you because your input in shaping this campus-wide series matters a great deal. We have established a dedicated mailbox for this series: [email protected]. I invite you to engage through:

1. Sharing your comments, questions and suggestions on the kind of future VC Campus-wide Conversations you would like to see in 2025.
2. Offering to participate in the process by emailing [email protected]. The Office of Inclusivity and Change (OIC) will contact you.
3. Learning more on the dedicated webpage, to be launched soon, about the VC Campus-wide Conversations initiative, including information on the facilitators as well as upcoming topics and dates. Please monitor Campus Announcements for these updates.

As an old African proverb says: "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." This reminds us that despite our differences, we all share a common journey and must work together for a better future.

True progress comes from being intentional about finding common ground, seeking understanding across diverse views and working together towards a common vision.

I am optimistic that this approach will help strengthen our sense of community and allow us to move forward with a unified purpose. It will take time, and a genuine commitment from all of us. I firmly believe that this is the path we must take to rebuild trust, foster mutual respect and re-establish UCT as a community where all members feel empowered to contribute to our shared mission.

I invite you to participate in these important Campus-wide Conversations.

Sincerely

Professor Mosa Moshabela
Vice-Chancellor

Read previous communications:

• From the UCT Executive
• Campus Announcements

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