Emeritus Professor Martin West, former deputy vice-chancellor and deputy principal, alumnus and honorary graduate, died in the early hours of Wednesday, 8 July. He was 10 days short of his 69th birthday, a birthday shared with Nelson Mandela.
UCT Memorial Service for Emeritus Professor Martin West
Time: 10h00
Date: Saturday, 25 July 2015
Venue: Atrium, Kramer Law Building, Middle Campus
West's UCT career spanned 42 years, 17 of these as a Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Principal, during which time he served the administration of four vice-chancellors.
West's contributions to the university were reflected in the breadth of his work over these four decades, first as an academic and then a senior administrator.
Speaking at the 2008 graduation ceremony when West was awarded the Vice-Chancellor's Medal, former Vice-Chancellor Professor Njabulo Ndebele paid tribute to West's "vast knowledge of university matters and ability to tap on that experience to provide sound advice and guidance".
"As an academic he led his department and contributed to his discipline; as a teacher he touched the lives of many students; as a deputy vice-chancellor he drove many strategic initiatives and provided strong leadership to senior staff. As the deputy principal, he often provided the Wisdom of Solomon on complex issues in difficult times."
West will also be remembered for his ambassadorial skills, most notably as founder of the University Science, Humanities, and Engineering Partnerships in Africa (USHEPiA), one of the most successful higher education collaborations in Africa.
And foreseeing that UCT would need an office devoted to international links, West was also instrumental in establishing the International Academic Programmes Office.
Martin West milestones:
1946: Born in Cape Town on 18 July 1963: Matriculates first-class from Bishops 1966: Graduates BA 1967: Honours in social anthropology 1969: MA (distinction) 1971: Starts lecturing in the Department of Social Anthropology 1972: PhD awarded in social anthropology, his thesis on the African Independent Churches in Soweto 1976: Ad hominem promotion to senior lecturer 1978: Aged 30, appointed Professor of Social Anthropology and takes up the Chair of Social Anthropology, the youngest academic ever to hold a chair 1980: Director of the Centre for African Studies 1991: Officiates at first graduation 1995: Founds the University Science, Humanities and Engineering Partnerships in Africa (USHEPiA) 2003: Relinquishes student affairs portfolio 2008: Retires from UCT after a 42-year-long-association with the university. In the same year he received the Vice-Chancellor's Medal for his services to UCT 2011: Awarded an honorary doctorate. His exhibition, Amabandla Ama-Afrika: The independent churches of Soweto, 1969-71, opens in the Centre for African Studies
Family man
Farewell
Honorary graduation
Exhibition Amabandla opening
Compiled by Helen Swingler. Images from the Monday Monthly archives.