Dear UJ Community,
On Wednesday this week, I had the honour of attending the Presidential Inauguration at the Union Buildings in Pretoria. As expected, it was an event marked by the customary pomp and ceremony befitting an incoming head of State and government. Indeed, it was such an amazing and fantastic experience being among the various dignitaries. This included church leaders, traditional leaders, outgoing cabinet ministers and other senior government officials, and heads of state from the SADC region and elsewhere on the African continent and the world.
I wish to congratulate Honourable Cyril Ramaphosa on his re-election as the President of the Republic of South Africa and wish him all the best for his second term. I also wish, in advance, all the incoming Cabinet ministers and other public representatives only the very best with their respective roles. As previously indicated on this platform, I hope they will put their party-political differences aside and serve the country with integrity, transparency and excellence. In fact, this was President Ramaphosa’s clarion call in his inaugural speech.
To read my latest article that appeared in the Daily Maverick, titled Education the cornerstone to a better future for the youth of South Africa, click here. In it, I make the point that Youth Day is a poignant reminder of the resilience and potential of South Africa’s youth, and that it is a day which calls on us to redouble our efforts to create an environment where young people can thrive.
After almost six months, we have come to the end of the first semester. As usual, it has been another exciting period for our university, defined by achievements and filled with excitement and hope for the future. The mark of a good university is its performance in knowledge production through research and innovation and how that contributes towards solving societal problems. In this regard, the impact of our work is reflected in our performance in the various university global rankings. This is an area in which we have excelled over the years, and this year was no different.
To reiterate, not only have we consolidated our foothold in the various rankings, but we have also exceeded expectations. For instance, UJ recently achieved its highest-ever position in global rankings and is now ranked #36 globally, according to the latest Times Higher Education Impact Rankings released this month. This means that we have climbed by ten places from our previous position of #46 in the 2023 edition of the rankings.
We are also now ranked among the top 50 out of 1,963 institutions in the world, 372 more than the previous year. UJ remains the best university in Africa and South Africa, holding the #1 spot in the continent and the country. Remarkably, we have also retained our top spot in Africa and South Africa in Sustainable Development Goal 1 for No Poverty. To read more about this and our achievements in other global rankings, visit our university website, www.news.uj.ac.za.
These research metrics and rankings have affirmed that we are indeed on the right path, living up to our slogan of an international University of choice anchored in Africa, dynamically shaping the future. Now, more than ever, UJ’s future looks to burn even brighter! We have excelled not only in the areas of research and rankings. Our colleagues and students in the Arts, Culture and Sport fronts have also done us proud, achieving individual and collective successes for their outstanding work. There is just too much to mention that singling out anyone might sound unfair.
All these successes are a demonstration that when we work collectively, united in purpose and focused, we can achieve more! Of course, as we continue in our endeavours to increase our global footprint, we will ensure that the well-being of our students and staff is at the centre of what we do. I would like to say a very big thank you to each one of you– your hard work and dedication is appreciated! I wish our students and academic staff a restful recess. To our students, I urge you to use the recess period to catch up on your outstanding work so that you are ready for the second semester. Till we meet again, take care!
