Excellencies, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen:
This is a day to celebrate the formal installation of Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe, as the 6th Chancellor of the University of Cape Town.
The University of Cape Town is not only one of Africa’s finest universities, it is recognized around the world for excellence.
Among its graduates, we count South Africa’s best and brightest, as well many emerging professionals in my country, and throughout Africa.
The time our students spent on the University of Cape Town campus not only enriched them academically, but prepared them for a productive life of service after graduation.
The chancellor is much more than a symbolic head of the university.
Over time, the incumbent Chancellor of the University of Cape Town has tended to reflect where South Africa is, and where it is going.
Precious is not only an eminent successor to our sister Graça Machel, but an inspiration in her own right, as a physician, a philanthropist, and an entrepreneur.
My family and I are proud to count her and Patrice as friends and, indeed, family members.
Going forward, we want to see an even greater connection between the University of Cape Town and our continent as a whole, as we work to deepen African economic integration and unity.
I wish Precious every success in this role, as she helps lead this university into its next chapter.