UCT the best in SA, Africa; vice-chancellor Mamokgethi Phakeng's leadership praised

Social media has showered University of Cape Town (UCT) vice-chancellor Mamokgethi Phakeng with congratulatory messages after learning of the institution's progress in global rankings.

According to the university's website, the institution has moved up 20 places on London-based magazine Times Higher Education's (THE) list. This puts it at 136 globally and ranks it the best in SA and Africa. Phakeng said although the results were encouraging, the university acknowledged the different contexts in which institutions of higher learning existed.

“As a university, we continue to view rankings with caution, because they attempt to compare universities that exists in a range of contexts ... cultural, historical, financial rankings are inherently imperfect, particularly when it comes to developing countries.”

In rating institutions, THE looked at aspects including research, teaching and industry outcome. The list features 1,400 universities.

Twitter had nothing but admiration for Phakeng's leadership style: