BRIAN KANTOR: University of Cape Town in trouble — but not yet for financial reasons
There is a growing dependence on government funding with explicit direction on how it is to be used
24 February 2023 - 05:00
The University of Cape Town (UCT) has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. A suspended, now paid-off, vice-chancellor; police invited onto campus to prevent further disruption of classes by defaulting students barred from readmission; and an academic community threatening strike action.
It was the latter dispute that led me to fear for the financial state of my alma mater and investigate. The numbers show UCT’s assets amounted to an impressive R15.6bn in 2021, up from R10.1bn in 2016. Yet many of the buildings and much of the equipment will have little resale value, if they could be sold at all...
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