News archive | Summer School

Adolescent mental health: a better understanding

Professor Jackie Hoare

Why empathy is breaking healthcare: The neuroscience of compassion

Dr Heidi Matisonn

The truth about Cape slavery: Challenging historical distortions

In The Truth About Cape Slavery Patric Tariq Mellet argues that modern SouthAfrica was established on the foundation of chattel slavery, and that the existence of a benevolent and mild form of slavery at the Cape is a myth.

In conversation: Parcel baby: aliases, apartheid and neurosurgery

Against a backdrop of immigration, servitude and apartheid, Shafik Parker forged a determined path from the humblest of backgrounds to beccoming a neurosurgeon.

The Shadow State: Why Babita Deokaran had to die

On 23 August 2021, Babita Deokaran, chief accountant at the Gauteng Department of Health. was shot down outside her home. Who ordered her murder, and why? Investigative journalist Jeff Wicks set out to find the answer.

GEOLOGY FIELD EXCURSIONS by Emeritus Professor John Compton

UCT Legacy Society Lecture Recital

UCT Legacy Society President, Hugh Amoore, invites you to a lecture-recital presented by Professor Jeremy Silver, Director of Opera UCT.

Book Launch Unbroken Chains by Martin Plaut

Join us for a discussion with Martin Plaut as he explores the history of slavery from since at least 2,500 BCE, from Egypt to the Cape; from Mauri-tania to Somalia.

Book Launch Unbroken Chains by Martin Plaut

Join us for a discussion with Martin Plaut, the author of Unbroken Chains: A 5,000-Year History of African Enslavement. He will explore the history of slavery from since at least 2,500 BCE, from Egypt to the Cape; from Mauritius to Somalia.

Cederberg rock art excursion

The Centre for Extra-Mural Studies has organised a unique weekend excursion with Emeritus Professor John Parkington to the Cederberg for an immersive experience looking at rock art in situ.

Advanced copy-editing by JOHN LINNEGAR

This is a follow-on course to the introductory Copy editing and proofreading course and offers what publishers consider to be a complete set of knowledge and skils that will enable practitioners to improve writers words.

Creative Writing

Join me on this five-week course where we will take the central nugget of your story, decide what sort of story it is – a full novel, creative non-fiction piece, memoir essay or flash.

Geology Field Excursions

A series of four excursions exploring the geology along the Cape coast and mountain range with Professor John Compton

Copy editing and proofreading examinable texts by John Linnegar

This course covers those facets of examinable academic texts (eg theses) that require the editor’s intervention. The course consists of five 2,5-hour sessions with exercises and readings issued to the participants as preparation.

Elections 2024: Being democratically empowered

Author and journalist John Matisonn presented a conversation around the 2024 elections He used the opportunity to advance a topic which has been close to his heart: how to get rapid growth in the country.

'Greater moral courage’ necessary to transform global health

No country can achieve sustainable development without building capacity in science and technology. So, there’s a need to reinforce science education, to train a critical mass of researchers, and to create a research infrastructure.

Lessons from the Springboks: ‘They are unapologetically South African’

The face of Springbok rugby from 2018 had three main leads and a world-class supporting cast – the organisation SA Rugby, Rassie Erasmus as director of rugby and Siya Kolisi as captain.

Belgravia High School at the 2025 Summer School

Seventeen Grade 11 and 12 learners from Belgravia High School in Belgravia, Athlone attended selected courses at the 2025 UCT Summer School. It was their first visit to UCT.

Advanced copy-editing 19 August to 4 September

Self-publishing, step by step 7-28 May

As successful self-published authors ourselves, we will provide a practical guide to the process of bringing your book to life, from first draft to finished product and beyond.

Copy-editing and proofreading by John Linnegar 24 April - 15 May

A virtual webinar-based introduction to Copy editing and proofreading designed to provide participants with the essential fundamentals for editing books, journals, magazines and reports.

Visit to the 108-year-old tall ship, Oosterschelde 24 April

The Oosterschelde is on a round-the-world trip during which she has retraced the route taken by HMS Beagle 189 years ago with Charles Darwin on board. 25 April

The Italian Renaissance: the dawn of modern times by Elizabeth Handley 16 April

It is difficult to date the exact beginning of the Renaissance. Some say that changes in thinking and artistic styles first appeared at the turn of the fourteenth and fiftheenth centuries, while others date these events a century later.

Running Africa by Keith Boyd 9 April

Join us for an inspiring lecture with Keith Boyd, as he dives into the extraordinary journey of Rainbow Leaders, a movement dedicated to empowering young South Africans to raise their voices, take action, and shape the future.

Editing academic texts: the essential fundamentals

The course sets out to describe and clarify the different approaches to editing examinable (e.g. theses) and publishable texts (e.g. typically, academic articles) and the levels and extent of editing permissible in each type.

Whose economy is it anyway?

Snippets from the story of Winnie and Nelson Mandela

The chilling world of organised crime: Land, air and sea

Jacob Zuma’s MK Party poses a major threat to South African democracy – new book

The May 2024 general election changed the country’s political landscape when the ANC lost its majority for the first time. The editors of a new book called 'Election 2024, South Africa: Countdown to Coalition' fields some questions.

Northern Cape snapshots of Fraserburg, Eksteenfontein, Khuboes, Riemvasmaak and Kimberley

Fraserburg, a little-known farmer’s town in the Northern Cape, actually punches well above its weight when it comes to local attractions. The most astounding feature in the Fraserburg district is a footprint left 252 million years ago.

Karoo tapestry — the lure of stillness, nostalgia for long-gone locos and the look of yesterday

Welcome to one of the quietest villages in the Karoo: Rietbron is the Very Flat Mind’s Eye Karoo, where the horizon is only occasionally broken by the perky ears of a hee-hawing donkey straying into your field of vision.

The first kudu: building a tech startup in South Africa

My side of the ocean

The poisoners: on South Africa's toxic past

Glowfly dance: a powerful and haunting account of intimate partner violence as witnessed through the eyes of a young girl.

Dr Jade Gibson’s debut novel Glowfly Dance is a powerful and haunting account of intimate partner violence as witnessed through the eyes of a young girl.

UCT authors at Summer School

We are pleased to let you know that we have added four free In Conversation sessions to the Summer School programme. Most of the authors are UCT alumni and staff. This will give you an opportunity to meet and engage with them.

Fossil finds: footprints on South Africa’s coast offer a glimpse into our ancestors’ lives

Mention the word “fossils” and most people will probably think of bones. Of course body fossils make up a large part of the global fossil record. But humans and other species leave their mark in other ways too - their tracks

How does our sun shine?

COP29: Only by returning carbon to the ground is net zero truly possible

The threat of climate change to South Africa’s agriculture

Temperatures across southern Africa are increasing. This presents a threat to many crops across the region. Rainfall projections are uncertain but the impact of climate change on agriculture is clear.

What is an ice age and how often do they happen?

Fifty years after the discovery of Lucy, it’s time to ‘decolonise paleoanthropology’ says leading Ethiopian fossil expert

On November 24 1974, renowned American paleoanthropologist Donald Johanson spotted “a piece of elbow with humanlike anatomy” poking out of a rocky hillside in northern Ethiopia.