One might assume that someone whose daily attire includes a wide-brimmed hat and a bow tie is cultivating eccentricity, indulging in a touch of self-regard, or making a sartorial statement. Among the notable wearers of such accessories are Sir Winston Churchill, Marlene Dietrich, Cam Newton, Sol Plaatje, David Kramer and Professor Robert John Balfour. Yet for Prof Balfour, UWC’s new Rector and Vice-Chancellor, the hat is less about fashion and more about practicality: “I think of hats as occupational health and safety gear, given that I burn in the sun so easily. If you see me with a hat, it’s not necessarily for fashion - though that is a happystance.”

Since late last year, he has explored every corner of the campus, meeting staff and students and getting acclimated to the erratic Cape Flats weather patterns, often sans his bowtie, for which he has an inexplicable adoration. He reminds one of the Cape Town saying: “So plat soos ? Minora blade”. In other words, he is humble, an open book, and ready to make UWC, with its rich heritage of being the home of the intellectual left, more than just his home. “My contribution to UWC’s legacy would be to create the climate to revitalise the debate about the relevance of the left in the twenty-first century where capitalism seems hegemonic; it seems to be largely unaccountable, very exploitative and damaging to the environment, to people, and to relations between people. Even so, for me, the intellectual project about the left's contribution is more than only a critique of what is wrong with capitalism. It's about imagining a better future for ourselves. It’s appropriate for UWC to be the place where that imagining infuses with teaching, community engagement and research.”

His goal for the institution, which turns 65 this year, is deeply personal and stems partially from his personal journey of self-acceptance, symbolising hope and the possibility of transformative change for others who feel excluded. As an only child born in Johannesburg and who grew up in rural Mpumalanga, he was sent to a Catholic boarding high school in Pretoria because his parents worried about a lack of socialisation in the 1980s. It was the heyday of corporal punishment, and the school was a “brutal space”. However, as a young man who loved art and books, the quality of education there satisfied his academic appetite. Socially, he formed close friendships with the “loners and misfits” to survive the polarising environment.

“It was very clear to me as a young gay adolescent that should you dare to come out in that kind of space, you risked your life. You risked taking your life. I remember one of my contemporaries in that school, a little bit younger than me, who took the risk of coming out in that boys-only boarding school environment, and it provoked extremes in terms of toxic masculinities and violence. And that experience of seeing what could happen made for fear; fear about being yourself as a gay person,” Prof Balfour revealed.

Later in life, when he started university, he realised that spaces and perceptions would not change if he remained silent. And so, he bravely lived as an openly gay man. While he found support among the LGBTQIA+ community and women, he still walked a lonely road. Ironically, the lessons he learned at boarding school illuminated his path.

“My friends came from different, very different backgrounds. And because we were all in boarding school, I think it was probably the solidarity of the oppressed in many ways because we were not part of the mainstream in the school and came from very different racial backgrounds. So that was a tough, tough few years, I have to say, but absolutely formative. It was there where I learned a very core sense of self-discipline and a keen academic interest.”

He went on to study language, education and art and flourished as an academic, making crucial contributions to multilingual policies and curriculum development. His research focus – which includes language education and policy, postcolonial literature and rural education – reflects his commitment to advancing educational equity and social justice in South Africa and beyond. Thus, he explained, joining UWC had always been his dream given that since its inception during apartheid, the institution has committed itself to critical inquiry about justice, decoloniality and education transformation.

Prof Balfour emphasises that the university has the potential to play a central role in addressing systemic inequities and integrating marginalised intellectual traditions into the curriculum. He further underscores the importance of creating intentional opportunities for women, LGBTQIA+ individuals and first-generation students, viewing their inclusion as a chance for restitution and redress. His vision for UWC, therefore, is one of collaboration, thoughtful planning and shared responsibility to build a more inclusive and transformative academic environment that aligns with its historical and intellectual legacy.

“When we talk about a place where Africanisation of the curriculum, decoloniality, decolonisation, multilingualism, gender and diversity could make sense in terms of coming together, that is what UWC represents for me. And it's enormously exciting. I have to say what a wonderful chance it is in life to come to a community of scholars and students who, I'm assuming, have similarly chosen to be here rather than elsewhere because of the values and the history of the place.”

True to his candid nature, he admits that his dreams are big and he does not have all the answers. However, he is confident that students, communities, staff, intellectuals, activists and leaders will join him. “Leadership cannot be about ego. It has to be about community. That is going to be difficult and probably characterised by failures as much as successes.”

As he settles into his role as the eighth Rector and Vice-Chancellor of UWC, Prof Balfour will undoubtedly wear many hats throughout his tenure. However, his paramount aspiration is to provide leadership that cultivates an environment where all can flourish under the intellectual canopy of the University of the Western Cape.