(Published - 3 May 2019)

The third annual Registrar’s Rewards and Recognition Gala Event 2018, held at the beautiful estate of D’Aria Winery, was a night to remember for staff at the University of the Western Cape (UWC).

The purpose of the event was to honour and recognise the excellence of UWC’s academic administrators as well as build team spirit.

UWC Registrar, Ms Nita Lawton-Misra, welcomed guests who came from far and wide – from Belhar, Cape Town, to Bangalore, India – before Rector and Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tyrone Pretorius, took to the stage to deliver his address. In his speech, Prof Pretorius said he wanted to remind nominees, prize winners and all guests why their work mattered.

“We don’t work for a JSE-listed company where we are driven by profit or shareholders. Ours is a very different ambition; we work at a university where we fulfil the hopes, the dreams and the aspirations of young people – the leaders of tomorrow. On graduation day a few weeks ago, our profits arrived on the graduation stage,” Prof Pretorius said.

“Our students walk across the stage in the Main Hall to receive their degrees, their diplomas and their certificates. Our wealth does not lie in the money we get for student tuition or in the subsidy that we get from the state. Our wealth comes from the knowledge that we all play a small – but a very significant and important – part in the ability of these students to now call themselves graduates of UWC.”

Prof Pretorius concluded his speech by reminding staff why he valued them: “I value you, you matter to me. We value you and you matter to this institution we call the University of the Western Cape. Thank you for your service and your contribution to UWC”.

Well-known poet, novelist and storyteller, Ms Sindiwe Magona, then took centre stage and had the guests hanging on her every word.

“The real engines of academic institutions are the support staff. I applaud everybody who was nominated, whether you get an award or not. The fact that you have been acknowledged, the fact that you have been nominated, to me, says you are a person that counts,” said Magona.

She went on to say, “[At the] United Nations General Assembly 1945, Mrs Eleanor Roosevelt said: 'We are all in this world for one reason and one reason only, to leave the world a better place than we found it’.”

Magona concluded: “One of the ways of nurturing good deeds in others is by performing them yourself. Don’t ever get tired of doing good – it inspires others.”

Guests were treated to a buffet-style three-course meal, spot prizes and other entertainment before it was down to the real business of the night – the awards.

Academic support staff were nominated by their peers before a selection panel had the difficult task of choosing the winners. Many were surprised while others were delighted to walk away with an Oscar-style statue, a star-shaped certificate and a gift made possible by a host of sponsors.

The 2018 R&R winners are:

Outstanding PA/Secretary
Anita Fredericks, Faculty of Community and Health Sciences

Positive Attitude Award
Franwin Strauss, Faculty of Arts
Clayton Alexander, Office of the Deputy Registrar: Academic Administration

Service Excellence Award
Henry Fritz, Faculty of Arts
Shameega Couert, Faculty of Community and Health Sciences
Zulfah Smith, Faculty of Dentistry
Ryan Adonis, Faculty of Education
Rholda Kriel, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences
Rohan Meyer, Faculty of Law
Jointly:
Natalie Isaacs, Faculty of Natural Sciences
Linda van Heerden, Faculty of Natural Sciences
Anthea Overmeyer, Office of the Deputy Registrar: Academic Administration

Most Promising Academic Administrator
Brandon Layman, Faculty of Dentistry

Outstanding Academic Administrator
Jointly:
Lameez Lalkhen, Faculty of Arts
Villeen Beerwinkel, Faculty of Arts
Sandy-Leane van Eeden, Faculty of Community and Health Sciences
Shaun Cozyn, Faculty of Dentistry
Lydia Steer, Faculty of Education
Carla Henry, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences
Elizabeth Witten, Faculty of Law
Khadija Parker, Faculty of Natural Sciences
Mercia Mottie, Office of the Deputy Registrar: Secretariat

Manager of the Year
Jointly:
Joline Savill, Faculty of Dentistry
Laurence Corner, Faculty of Natural Sciences

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