Cape Town - UCT chair of council Babalwa Ngonyama says the changing of names of spaces and buildings at the university should go beyond the view that the name change was a source of discomfort or pain for those advocating for change.
This comes after the university’s council agreed to start the renaming process for Smuts Hall residence, saying the move marked UCT and indicates how far the institution has come – under the current executive leadership – since the time of #RhodesMustFall.
At the weekend, the council deliberated and approved a recommendation of the Naming of Buildings Committee, to change the name of Smuts Hall, the student residence on the upper campus.
This decision takes immediate effect, in that the name Smuts Hall will be removed from the residence and, in the interim, the name Upper Campus Residence will be used until the process of determining a new name is formally concluded, said UCT.
UCT chair of council Babalwa Ngonyama said: “The utter pain and anguish at the time of the decision to remove the Rhodes statue from campus was significant. And yet, we have, as a campus, moved closer to a community that can speak with one another, can acknowledge the complexities of the past but honour its gifts, can engage each other to come to new names of campus spaces, that we feel are more representative of our current values and who we are as an inclusive collective.”
“While we have varied perspectives, and diverse backgrounds and opinions, we are able to see and collectively forge a more inclusive future and shared identity,” said Ngonyama.
Over the coming months, UCT will hold discussions across the campus community about the new name for the Upper Campus Residence, as well as for other buildings.
“The changing of names should not be seen as merely replacing what we do not like with what we feel resonates well with us, or what we feel we relate better to. It should go beyond the view that the name we are changing is a source of discomfort or pain for those advocating for change. Nor should it be viewed as an act of diminishing, discarding or deviating from history by those who would wish that the status quo should remain,” she said.
“An environment where all members of the campus community feel represented by, and can reflect on and relate to the buildings, spaces and symbols on campus. Collectively, we can all help in efforts to continue creating an environment on our campus that is increasingly inclusive, and reflective of the growing diversity in our campus community,” she said.
Cape Times