Dr Fikile Vilakazi-Alberts. Image: Shelley Christians/UWC

The University of the Western Cape (UWC) recently bid farewell to Dr Fikile Vilakazi-Alberts, whose leadership of the Gender Equity Unit (GEU) and contribution to the establishment of Queer Dubs have left a lasting impact on the university community.

Throughout her tenure, Dr Vilakazi-Alberts championed equity, inclusion and social justice, creating spaces where students and staff could engage critically with issues of identity, belonging and transformation. Dr Vilakazi-Alberts joined the institution as a UWC alumna and an intellectual activist, having previously held an academic post in Political Science and Public Policy at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. She also served as the Chairperson of the UWC Cassinga Residence from 1994 to 1996, and was a member of an interim Student Representative Council at UWC in 1998. She was a first-year student at UWC in 1993 when the GEU was founded by the late Dr Rhoda Kadalie. She assumed the position of Director of the GEU on 1 January 2023. 

Across a working life of close to three decades, her attention ranged from questions of gender and sexuality to indigenous healing, supported by applied research in participatory development and community health. As Director of the Gender Equity Unit, she led a structure designed to support feminist research and advocacy in the service of social justice.

Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Prof Robert Balfour, said: “Dr Vilakazi, thank you for what you have given to UWC. I have appreciated the opportunity to work with you and admired the conviction and integrity you brought to your role. Your contribution to the Gender Equity Unit and the establishment of Queer Dubs will be remembered as part of the University's story for many years to come.”

Colleagues from the Gender Equity Unit reflected that her leadership was marked by “critical engagement, growth, and a deep commitment to equity and justice”. They described her contribution as instrumental in cultivating opportunities for collaboration and collective growth, including co-creating the Queer Dubs Forum and the African Traditional Health, Indigenous Spiritualities and Ancestral Wellness Task Team. 

For members of Queer Dubs, Dr Vilakazi-Alberts’ presence represented more than institutional leadership. In a farewell message, committee members noted that seeing “a Black queer woman assume a position of directorship at UWC” offered hope and visibility to many within the queer community. They thanked her for creating and sustaining spaces where queer students can belong, grow and be affirmed. 

The Queer Dubs Committee also acknowledged her role in establishing the forum and expressed its commitment to building on the foundation she helped lay. “You have shown us what it means to bulldoze as a Black queer womxn,” they wrote, adding that her leadership served as “a reminder of how personal the political is”. 

While Dr Vilakazi-Alberts’ departure marks the end of an important chapter, her contributions will continue to shape the work of both the Gender Equity Unit and Queer Dubs. The relationships, practices and initiatives developed under her leadership remain part of her enduring legacy at UWC. 

As she embarks on a new journey, the UWC community extends its gratitude for her service and wishes her continued growth, fulfilment and success in the years ahead.