Remarks by the Chancellor on the Occasion of the Retirement of the Vice- Chancellor of the University of Cape Town, Professor Njabulo Ndebele 26 May 2008
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Remarks by the Chancellor on the occasion of the retirement of the Vice- Chancellor of the University of Cape Town, Professor Njabulo Ndebele 26 May 2008 Professor Njabulo Ndebele is an extraordinary South African. I wanted to make that statement at the outset because in these most challenging of times we need extraordinary South Africans, people with the intellect, courage and – most of all – the integrity of Njabulo. The purpose of tonight’s gathering is specifically to celebrate his tenure as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Town, one of the country’s – no, the world’s – great centres of higher learning. Having worked with him in my capacity as Chancellor since he took up the post in July 2000, I have very distinct insights on his contribution and will be sharing them with you this evening. But before I do so I would like briefly to paint a broader canvas of the life of Njabulo Ndebele – a very full life so far, and with so much still to come. Njabulo is that rare sort of person who gives intellectuals a good name. An intellectual he certainly is – of the highest order - but there is nothing abstract or cloistered about how he has chosen to live his life. He is passionately engaged and apparently unafraid to tackle the most difficult of issues, sometimes drawing fierce attacks upon himself in the process, though he is a gentle man. He is a fearless free thinker whose wellspring is principle and compassion. Besides his many vital roles at universities, culminating in the highest post at UCT, Njabulo is rightly recognised as one of the finest writers and thinkers produced by our continent. There is nothing that Njabulo has written – whether books, papers, essays, articles or reviews – that is not worth reading, but I would point to his seminal Fools and Other Stories, published in 1983, as a prime example of the mark he has made, and continues to make to our intellectual life. It is entirely just that the work won the NOMA award for the best book published in Africa that year. And Njabulo, as busy as he is, continues to be a prolific writer – this year he published Fine Lines from the Box: Further Thoughts About Our Country, a selection of writings that have been described as a map of the last three decades of political, economic, and cultural struggle in South Africa. It strikes me that Njabulo has a beautiful way of thinking, of speaking, of writing, and of being. This is meant as the highest praise. Let us briefly revisit Njabulo’s academic career before I speak about his important tenure as Vice-Chancellor of this university. He obtained his Masters degree in English literature from Cambridge University in the United Kingdom, and a Ph.D. in Philosophy, English and American Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Denver, USA. His early positions included the Chair of the Department of African Literature at the University of the Witwatersrand, and Provost, Dean and Head of the English Department at the National University of Lesotho. He became Vice-Rector at the University of the Western Cape, and thereafter for five years the Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of the North, in very challenging times. Before taking up his post here at UCT, he spent two years as Resident Scholar at the Ford Foundation’s headquarters in New York. It has been a glittering career and he has picked up friends and admirers all along the way. Many of you are with Njabulo tonight, and I know that will be a source of great pleasure to him and to Mpho who has shared and played a huge part in Njabulo’s journey. It is true to say that no sensible person would lightly take on the task of leading a major South African university through these times of transition and transformation. It is a very big, and very hard, job to do. Difficult things must be done and given our history they cannot be done in a way that pleases all the people all the time. As sensitive a person as one might be, it is essential to grow a thick skin and do what is right. Njabulo has led this institution through its formative first years of the 21 st century. It is a major achievement. His task was to move the University forward towards its transformational goals fundamentally and fast, while simultaneously protecting and maintaining its internationally recognised academic standards. Easy to say, inestimably difficult to do. Today, and especially today in the context of events unfolding in the country, Njabulo and his colleagues can proudly say that UCT students have a sense of belonging. Those students are drawn from more than a hundred nationalities from Africa and around the world. The world is welcomed at the University of Cape Town. There is much improved access for young people from all backgrounds to the exceptional education and knowledge that UCT offers. Of course much more needs to be done, and this will be the challenge taken up by the new Vice-Chancellor. But while people often talk glibly about ‘legacies’, in Njabulo’s case we can use that word – the Ndebele legacy is part of this university now and forever. I very much regret that I cannot be with you all in person tonight, but I hope you will accept the sincerity of these remarks in praise of Njabulo. Vice- Chancellor, soon to be relieved of that burdensome title, I send my very best wishes, congratulations, and appreciation to you and Mpho. You have done well and have made us proud, now go and do more good… Thank you. .