UCT to rename old res

The University of Cape Town will be renaming its Smuts Hall residence.

This comes after a submission was made to the university by the UCT Student Representative Council (SRC) earlier this month proposing a more “suitable” name for the men’s residence.

Smuts Hall is named after Jan Smuts.

The former UCT chancellor, who died in 1950, was also the former prime minister of South Africa.

UCT said its council approved the name change at a meeting held on Saturday.

It said the council deliberated and approved the recommendation of the Naming of Buildings Committee to change the name of the student residence.

The decision by the council takes immediate effect and the name Smuts Hall will be removed and in the interim the name will be changed to Upper Campus Residence until a new name has been formally decided upon.

UCT Council Chairperson, Babalwa Ngonyama, said the pain and anguish felt at the time of the decision to remove the Rhodes statue from its campus was significant.

“Whilst we have varied perspectives and diverse backgrounds and opinions, we are able to see and collectively forge a more inclusive future and shared identity,” Ngonyama said.

In the coming months, the UCT community will be holding discussions about a new name for the Upper Campus Residence as well as names for other buildings.

African News Agency