page_title: University of Cape Town
section_title: Administration and governance
hierarchical_section_title: University of Cape Town / Organisation / Administration and governance
caption_attribution_description: English: Mamokgethi Setati
context_page_description: The University of Cape Town is a public research university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College making it the oldest higher education institute in South Africa. In terms of full university status, it is the oldest university in South Africa and the oldest extant university in Sub-Saharan Africa together with Stellenbosch University which received full university status on the same day in 1918.
  Although UCT was founded by a private act of Parliament in 1918, the Statute of the University of Cape Town sets out its structure and roles and places the Chancellor - currently, Dr Precious Moloi Motsepe - as the ceremonial figurehead and invests real leadership authority in the Vice Chancellor, currently Prof Mamokgethi Phakeng, who is accountable to the University Council. Consisting of 57 departments organised in 6 faculties and the multidisciplinary Centre for Higher Education Development, the university has approximately 29000 to 30000 students in the liberal arts, pure sciences and professional degrees ranging from Bachelor's degree to Doctoral degree level.
context_section_description: The University of Cape Town was originally incorporated as a public university by a private act of Parliament in 1918. At present it is incorporated and structured by an institutional statute issued under the provisions of the Higher Education Act, 1997.
  The titular head of the University is the Chancellor; this is a ceremonial position without executive power. The primary role of the Chancellor is to confer degrees on behalf of the University, and to represent the University to the rest of the world. The current Chancellor is fashion entrepreneur and philanthropist Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe who was elected in November 2019 and assumed the role on 1 January 2020 after the expiration of Ms Graça Machel's second consecutive 10-year term.
  The University Council is the highest ranked decision-making and appointative structure in the university. With wide-ranging powers of governance over areas such as the strategy, well-being and mission of the university, it is directly accountable to the Government of the Republic through the Minister of Higher Education, currently Dr Blade Nzimande for matters relating to the university. It is composed of 30 broad stakeholder representatives such as students, academics, staff and appointees of the City of Cape Town, Convocation, Premier of the Western Cape and the Minister of Higher Education among others, and the presiding officer of the Council, the Chair, is currently Sipho Pityana. The Registrar, who acts as the secretary of the Council and Senate, oversees academic registration and legal matters, and administers the Convocation, is currently Royston Pillay.
  The Convocation, composed of alumni, the Vice Chancellor, Deputy Vice Chancellors, academic staff, emeritus professors and emeritus associate professors, is a statutory body administered by the Office of the Registrar, which provides a platform for former members of the university to participate and engage with matters affecting the university. Helmed by the President of the Convocation, currently Prof Eddy Maloka, it can make recommendations and pass non-binding resolutions in its Annual General Meetings.
  The Leadership Lekgotla is a coordinating and decision-making structure composed of senior executives of the university who oversee the day to day running of the university. It contrasts with the University Council which arises from the University Statute and exercises supreme governance over the university. The Leadership Lekgotla's members are senior executives who oversee different areas of the university's operations and policies.  The most senior executive is the Vice Chancellor (ranked below the Chancellor in the ceremonial protocol and order of precedence of the university) is the de facto head and chief executive of the university, currently Prof Mamokgethi Phakeng appointed in July 2018, who is accountable to the Council. Below her are the Deputy Vice Chancellors of Transformation (currently Prof Loretta Feris), of Research and Internationalisation (currently Prof Susanne Harris) and of Teaching and Learning (currently Prof Lis Lange). The Chief Operations Officer, currently Dr Reno Morar, brings together and oversees the functional, support and technical areas of the university's operations.
caption: Prof Mamokgethi Phakeng became the University's second black female Vice-Chancellor after Mamphela Ramphele.
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