UWC made the right decision to retain its name

THE decision by the University of the Western Cape to retain its name, despite calls to rename the institution after theologian and anti-apartheid activist Dr Allan Boesak, has prompted passionate debate and rightly so, because questions of naming are never simply administrative exercises but reflections of how a society chooses to remember itself.

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There can be little disagreement about Dr Boesak’s place in South Africa’s history. His role in liberation theology, his moral voice during apartheid and his contribution to intellectual and political debate remain part of the democratic story the country continues to tell. To suggest that attaching his name to a university would be an honour is neither controversial nor misplaced. Many South Africans would see such recognition as deserved.