UCT alumni mobilise to reclaim the university’s future

A growing group of University of Cape Town (UCT) graduates is urging fellow alumni to register for next month’s Convocation Annual General Meeting (AGM), warning that the institution’s global reputation and funding base are being jeopardised by politicised decision-making.

The call forms part of the UCT Renewal 2025 campaign, which describes itself as a civic effort to restore integrity, transparency, and academic excellence at South Africa’s oldest university. Registration to participate in the hybrid AGM – scheduled for 4 December 2025 – closes this Friday, 14 November.

In a message circulated to graduates, alumnus Henry Shields voiced alarm at what he calls the “decline of UCT’s hard-won international standing”. He cited the withdrawal of several major donors following June 2024 policy decisions by the UCT Council that were viewed as politically driven. These include the Donald Gordon Foundation, which had pledged R200 million toward the UCT Neuroscience Institute and an academic hospital partnership; and the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, which funded 288 bursary students.

Court filings in the case by Professor Adam Mendelsohn against UCT have since revealed that these Council resolutions included a proposed academic boycott of certain Israeli academics. UCT Renewal 2025 notes that the measures were approved without full disclosure of their financial implications, a move that has now cost the university hundreds of millions of rands in lost donor support.

According to affidavits before the Western Cape High Court, the Council justified its decisions by citing support from the 2024 Convocation AGM, where only 86 alumni voted in favour of a motion endorsing the Gaza-related resolutions out of almost 85 000 eligible graduates. Those 86 votes, critics say, are now being used to legitimise actions that have alienated funders and strained key international research partnerships.

UCT Renewal 2025 warns that a small faction intends to re-submit similar motions at the upcoming meeting, even as the original decisions remain under legal review. “It’s preposterous that motions already being challenged in court are being recycled and resubmitted,” the campaign said, urging graduates to “step in now to restore sanity and integrity”.

Any UCT graduate or staff member who is part of Convocation may attend and vote, but must register by 14 November at www.uct-renewal.co.za or through the university’s registration portals. The AGM will take place on 4 December at 18:00, both in-person and online. Participants will vote on several resolutions and elect five alumni to the Convocation Executive Council, including a new president.

The issue has drawn comment from the South African Zionist Federation (SAZF), which has long voiced concern about the politicisation of South African campuses. SAZF National Spokesperson Rolene Marks said, “Universities thrive when ideas are tested through scholarship, not when they are stifled by ideology. UCT’s standing as a world-class institution depends on safeguarding academic freedom, diversity of thought, and transparent governance. This isn’t only a Jewish or Zionist issue, it’s about protecting South Africa’s leading university from reputational and financial harm. Every alumni who values excellence and accountability should make their voice heard before Friday’s deadline.”

As UCT approaches its December AGM, alumni are being reminded that just a few hundred votes can determine the trajectory of an institution that once set the national benchmark for higher-education standards. The outcome, many believe, will signal whether UCT’s future lies in renewed academic integrity or continued political fracture.