SOUTH AFRICA

New University of Cape Town VC believes in the power of people
The University of Cape Town (UCT), Africa’s top-ranked higher education institution, has just appointed Professor Mosa Moshabela as its new vice-chancellor (VC) with effect from 1 October 2024.Currently still the deputy vice-chancellor for research and innovation at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), also in South Africa, Moshabela will take over from Professor Daya Reddy, who stepped in as the interim vice-chancellor after Professor Mamokgethi Phakeng vacated her position in March 2023.
He previously worked at Washington and Columbia universities in the United States, as well as South Africa’s University of the Witwatersrand (Wits). He also serves as chairperson of the board of the country’s National Research Foundation (NRF) and is a member of the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf).
Moshabela will need to draw upon all his expertise and experience to address the variety of challenges UCT has faced in recent years. These include the fallout from student protests, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, ongoing transformation debates and challenges around good governance and leadership.
He obtained an MBChB from UKZN in 2001, an MMed in family medicine from Medunsa, the Medical University of South Africa (now Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University) in 2009, a PhD in public health from Wits in 2012, and an MSc in demography and health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 2017.
Moshabela’s contribution to health research has mainly been in the improvement of access and quality in healthcare to combat infectious diseases, particularly in relation to HIV and TB, and in the areas of health systems, services and policy research.
Globally, he is a member of the international advisory board for the Lancet Healthy Longevity journal, and the commission of the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine on a global roadmap to healthy longevity, and he served on the Lancet commission on synergies between health promotion, universal healthcare access and global health security.
He spoke exclusively to University World News on 30 May.
UWN: You finished matric at the age of 16 and become a medical doctor at 22. Now, at 44, you are one of the youngest VCs. Tell us about your background and your approach to leadership.
MM: I grew up in Zebediela in the Limpopo province. Caring for my grandmother who was paralysed and had cardiometabolic diseases inspired me to do medicine, and practising medicine taught me the importance of relationships.
My leadership style is people-centred. In higher education, talent is what makes institutions, and my approach is collaborative. I’ve built relationships across sectors – including government and industry.
Throughout my career, I’ve always been the ‘young’ one. I’ve had to navigate relationships with older, more experienced people, recognising the value of their lived experience. Conversations with them offer institutional memory and inform the future trajectory of an institution. I am not threatened by others’ experience. I see it as an asset in my collaborative leadership approach.
UWN: How will you overcome the divisions that have plagued UCT in recent years and create unity?
MM: By using African values like ubuntu. My upbringing in a village has instilled in me the importance of relationships.
Also, the practice of medicine that has taught me the importance of relations with people. Half of healing comes from your skills; the other part comes from caring for people in a humane way.
I want to create a space for debate that is respectful and collegial, not based on personal attacks.
While debate is essential, we must remember that we will continue to work together as partners afterwards. So, we must engage each other with grace, respect and collegiality. We cannot create a toxic environment where colleagues resort to personal attacks.
Instead, we must foster a space for logical, intellectual debate, free from the kind of negativity sometimes seen in higher education. Values like mutual respect, honesty and transparency will be crucial. We need each other to succeed, not just as individuals, but as a collective. I believe people at UCT care about the institution and will be willing to heal relationships.
UWN: What should UCT do to maintain its position in the higher education sector?
MM: The most important driver of any university is its people. We need to retain and attract the best talent, ensuring a conducive environment and investing in cutting-edge research infrastructure.
Financial security is also crucial to create an enabling environment. All of this impacts on UCT’s brand and reputation, which represents the academic and intellectual aspirations of our society, not just in South Africa, but in Africa as a whole.
UWN: What importance do you attach to international collaboration between universities? How important will that be for UCT?
MM: UCT is an institution of global importance, a global centre of excellence. With research excellence as the basis of its positioning, it is important to acknowledge that the first and most important aspect of partnerships is talent.
We face a problem of brain drain in Africa, but we also acknowledge that brain circulation is important for our global standing. Mobility is key: people leaving UCT to visit elsewhere, but others coming for visits, training, studying and collaborations.
We need to support brain circulation and shift away from the notion of brain drain. It needs to be a collaborative effort globally, where institutions and partnerships help people meet their aspirations without their countries or continents losing out entirely. UCT can play a role in supporting this for the benefit of Africa, leveraging its position to negotiate with other global powerhouses.
Secondly, international collaboration, while essential, needs to be based on equitable partnerships. We must manage power asymmetry and not perpetuate existing problems. We must promote the notion of equitable partnerships in our internationalisation agenda and global collaborations.
Partnerships should also have a common agenda of societal impact, not just benefiting individual institutions or contexts. UCT can strengthen collaborations in Africa by building consensus on the societal impact of science and research on the continent. This agenda will also encourage international partners from the Global North to support us.
These are the principles I would bring forward, not to impose because I am not an autocrat, but for debate and consensus at UCT.
UWN: UCT is financially strong. How will it maintain that situation in light of the many pressures on universities’ finances?
MM: As an outsider, I’ll need to learn UCT’s fundraising levers and collaborate with donors to develop a financial sustainability plan. The trend is for universities to rely more on philanthropy and donor funds, as government subsidies are not growing and there’s a push for greater access. I support UCT admitting talented students who can’t afford it, but that requires sustainable funding mechanisms.
UCT competes globally, and often with privately funded institutions with deep pockets. We need to free UCT to compete, potentially getting support from the [South African] Department of International Relations and Cooperation. If we agree that we want UCT to remain top in Africa and compete globally, we need to provide it with the necessary support.
I also believe universities should build strong relationships with alumni. They have an emotional attachment to their institution; they care about its success and can be an asset in supporting and uplifting it in a sustainable way.
UWN: You told me that you went “straight from the village to university” and that, although you could read and write English, you had to learn to speak it fluently. And yet you would later become a superstar of science communication. How important is communication in higher education?
MM: Absolutely crucial. During COVID, I learnt to communicate science effectively by tailoring it for different audiences. I made a conscious choice to digest and synthesise information for the public, using a people-centred approach informed by health behaviour models, which is about helping people reduce their anxiety and navigate uncertainty by providing them with relevant information. We need to do this every day, not just in crises.
Academics should be trained in science journalism, science communication and science diplomacy. Publishing in journals isn’t enough; we need to communicate with the public.
And that is where platforms like University World News come in. We should also train and reward academics and students for good science communication to make it more sustainable.