Dear Students and Staff,

It’s has been a week since UCT commemorated the life of Uyinene “Nene” Mrwetyana in protest, song, and word, and it is important that we all take time to reflect on these and other recent events.

The brutal murders of Nene and other women in South Africa have shaken the UCT community to its core. These tragedies, combined with the ongoing xenophobic attacks, are highlighting the pervasiveness of violence in South Africa, especially against those who are more marginalised or perceived as “others”, and especially against women.

The Science Faculty is deeply disturbed by this violence, and is concerned about how it affects our students, our staff, our visitors and our families. The Faculty is committed to providing an environment that is inclusive and free of violence, discrimination, harassment and bullying for everyone. We are committed to providing this safe environment regardless of gender or country of origin, but also race, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, age, mental or physical health, HIV-status, political opinion or religion.

As scientists, we know that our value is in our diversity. This is true not only because it enriches us culturally, but also because diversity makes for better science. Diverse teams bring a wide range of lived experiences, and therefore ask and answer a wide range of questions. This gives us more scientific certainty that our results and conclusions are accurate.

The Faculty recognises that every one of us has a different lived experience that informs the way we are affected by, engage with, and respond to the recent tragedies. We value that diversity, and urge you to recognise these differences, assist each other, and seek support when needed during this difficult time.