The naming of buildings committee (NoBC) recommended that Smuts Hall, a student residence on upper campus, be renamed. In June 2021, the council considered and adopted the recommendation.
They then decided that the name Upper Campus Residence will be used until such a time that the process of determining a new name is formally concluded according to Phakeng.
The University’s Vice-Chancellor, Mamokgethi Phakeng is now calling on colleagues, students, alumni and other stakeholders to take part in the renaming process.
I now invite you to participate in the process of renaming this residence, along with two other spaces which are located at the heart of the upper campus. All proposals that we receive will be considered by the Naming of Buildings Committee (NoBC).
In 2018 UCT's Naming of Buildings Committee (NoBC) renamed Jameson Hall to Sarah Baartman Hall, a process which according to the institution's vice-chancellor took a year and a half.
This journey started some time ago and these buildings that needed to be renamed were identified back in 2016, even before I arrived at UCT. So this has been a process and it takes a long time.
The University’s Vice-Chancellor, Mamokgethi Phakeng says that the reaming of these spaces is an important process, in that it helps in dealing with the past and working towards an inclusive future.
Phakeng further states that an example of this is in the renaming of the Jameson Plaza into the Sarah Baartman Hall which was initially announced in 2016.
She says although there have been some changes in the curriculum, the primary focus is on the names and symbols within the university’s campus spaces.
The changes to the curriculum have started but the names matter and symbols matter. The names have to reflect the values of the many different groups that make up the UCT community.
Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng invites the UCT community to participate in the process of renaming of places and spaces across campus. Read the full VC Desk: https://t.co/cPADIqae3o
— UCT (@UCT_news) November 17, 2021
