Cape Town – UCT vice-chancellor Mamokgethi Phakeng used her robing ceremony yesterday to announce the renaming of the Jameson Hall to the Sarah Baartman Memorial Hall.
She was officially robed at the university’s graduation ceremony yesterday after 165 days in her position.
The renaming is one of the significant contributions Phakeng has made to the institution.
Chancellor Graca Machel noted how Phakeng paid for 100 students who owed fees to the university, allowing students, from as far back as 2015, to be able to graduate.
“Today is day 165 and is special to have you here. It is an enormous honour to be VC of an institution that is acknowledged globally for teaching and learning. It is a truly a profound privilege,” Phakeng said.
Acknowledging that she was held at a different esteem to other VC’s as she was a woman, she said: “What will the fashion police tweet about my outfit today, perhaps too short, perhaps too blue, perhaps too tight, perhaps too sexy. I wonder if this gown I am wearing now has special powers.”
In a joint statement, council chairperson Sipho Pityana and Phakeng said the renaming was intended to holistically reflect on the history of all the people of the country.
“It is fitting that a woman who was treated as a slave should be honoured by UCT, where some buildings have been constructed over the graves of past slaves.
“This is one way we can pay homage to the lives that were lost through slavery. We acknowledge our responsibility to not only the Khoi community but all communities to uphold Sarah Baartman Hall as a place of restoration, healing, growth and compassion.”