UCT Post-graduate studies - Flipbook - Page 46
Safety and violence
South Africans continue to
face persistent high rates of
violence. There is a core group
of researchers at UCT from a variety
of disciplines who have been working
within the diverse but related fields of
policing, causes of rape, prevention of
child maltreatment and the like. Together
they have formed the Safety and Violence
Initiative (SAVI) with a mandate to focus
on understanding and intervening in the
promotion of safety and the reduction of
violence in South Africa.
Schools improvement
The Schools Improvement
Initiative (SII) is a direct response
to the education crisis in South
Africa. The underachievement of learners,
in particular in township schools around
Cape Town, has resulted in relatively small
numbers of black students from these
disadvantaged areas qualifying for entrance
to UCT. SII was formed to harness the
university’s broader resources to foster
meaningful partnerships with educationrelated groupings, both within and outside
of UCT.
Urban Africa
Rapid urbanisation raises
issues of adequate food
supply, affordable shelter,
employment opportunities, water and
waste management, environmental
degradation and climate change.
Achieving well-governed and sustainable
cities is becoming increasingly important
to the future health of the planet. The
African Centre for Cities at UCT is an
interdisciplinary research and teaching
programme that seeks to facilitate
critical urban research and policy
discourses for the promotion of vibrant,
democratic and sustainable urban
development in the global south from
an African perspective.