UCT Council elects first female chair and deputy

Newly elected UCT Council Chair, Babalwa Ngonyama Image source: UCT

This follows the election of Babalwa Ngonyama as the new chair of Council and Nazeema Mohamed as deputy at the first Council meeting of the 2020/2024 term held on Saturday, 11 July 2020.

It is for the first time that UCT has a female chair of Council.

The election of Ngonyama as chair also means that the university now has women leaders at the helm in the crucial governance, ceremonial and executive roles, with the latter two being the chancellor, Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe and the vice-chancellor, Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng.

The new Council officially started its term on 1 July 2020 and will be in office until 30 June 2024.

Council also elected the chairs of its main committees and appointed members to these. Four of these six committees will be chaired by women.

The chairs are as follows:

• Honorary Degrees Committee: Sheila Barsel
  
• Naming of Buildings Committee: Malcolm Campbell
  
• University Audit and Risk Committee: Tshidi Mokgabudi
  
• University Buildings & Development Committee: Malcolm Campbell
  
• University Finance Committee: Zama Khanyile
  
• University Human Resources Committee: Pheladi Gwangwa

Council’s Executive Committee (EXCO) is composed of the chair and deputy chair of Council, the vice-chancellor, one of the Senate-elected members of Council, one of the student members of Council and three other members of Council, one of whom must be the chair of the University Finance Committee.

The Exco membership has been confirmed as comprising Ngonyama, Mohamed, Phakeng, Professor Ntobeko Ntusi (Senate-elected Council member), Sihle Lonzi (student member), Khanyile (chair of the University Finance Committee) as well as Barsel and Dianna Yach as Council members.